Research and Innovation Careers Observatory 2026

Executive summary

A changing policy landscape for research and innovation careers

Research and innovation (R&I) systems are undergoing profound change, shaped by fiscal pressures, geopolitical force, technological transformation and shifting labour market needs. Meeting demand for R&I talent presents a strategic challenge for countries seeking to sustain scientific excellence and innovation, while the R&I workforce itself is increasingly heterogeneous. Policymakers need stronger evidence to map profiles and career pathways of R&I personnel.

Responding to this need and drawing on the evidence base of the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO), this report brings together new insights on talent development, labour market outcomes and talent circulation in R&I systems. The findings reveal both the strengths of current approaches to developing and attracting R&I talent and some emerging vulnerabilities that could affect their future performance.

R&I career opportunities are expanding but future supply is not guaranteed

Opportunities for highly skilled individuals to participate in R&I have grown considerably in recent years. Research and development personnel made up almost 1.6% of employment across OECD countries in 2024, up from around 1.3% in 2015. In tandem, most countries continue to expand their pool of highly qualified R&I talent. OECD countries awarded more than 300 000 doctoral degrees and over 3.9 million master's degrees in 2023, numbers that have grown steadily over time. More than 1% of the OECD working-age population now holds a doctorate, with shares increasing in recent years in many countries, indicating overall a growing pool of individuals with advanced formal research training.

At the same time, this overall trend masks some emerging vulnerabilities. In several countries, the number of doctoral graduates declined between 2015 and 2023, in some cases from an already small base. These trends coincide with ageing populations and an older stock of highly qualified workers in some countries, raising further concerns about capacity to renew and expand the future talent pool.

Shares of advanced degrees in STEM fields are static, even as STEM employment grows

Employment in STEM professional occupations, defined to comprise science, engineering and ICT professionals, has grown rapidly, driven in particular by the diffusion of digital technologies. ICT professionals accounted for 3.1% of OECD employment in 2024, up from 1.8% in 2015. A further 3.7% of employment was based in science and engineering occupations in 2024, increasing from 3.2% in 2015. Yet, despite evidence of growing demand for advanced STEM skills, and countries’ efforts to increase their supply, the broad field composition of advanced qualifications has remained remarkably stable across OECD countries over time. While absolute numbers have risen, the share of doctoral graduates in STEM fell from 48% to 46% between 2015 and 2023, and the share among master's graduates rose by under a percentage point, to 24%. These trends signal that current efforts to expand the supply of advanced STEM skills may not address increasing and shifting needs, although further analysis is needed to establish how the composition of graduates is shifting between STEM subfields. Part of the explanation lies further upstream. Just over 10% of 15-year-olds across OECD countries aspire to a science career, a share that has remained largely unchanged over time. Gaps between men and women in participation in STEM education and careers also constrain the talent pool, although these are narrowing in some countries and STEM subfields.

Career outcomes for doctorate holders are generally positive but employment stability and rewards can vary

For individuals, doctoral education generally delivers strong labour market outcomes. Employment rates for doctorate holders exceed those of master's degree holders in most countries and are typically above 90%. Doctorate holders also earn more on average: the OECD-wide earnings premium relative to master's degree holders is 24%, although the size of this advantage differs markedly across countries. In addition, doctorate holders are slightly more likely to work full-time, with 90% of employed doctorate holders in full-time jobs on average across the OECD. Evidence also suggests that doctorate holders are generally more satisfied with their financial situation than master's degree holders, consistent with their favourable earnings and employment outcomes. At the same time, employment stability remains a concern for some doctorate holders who are, on average, slightly less likely than master's degree holders to hold indefinite contracts, reflecting the prevalence of fixed-term postdoctoral positions in early stages of many research careers.

R&I systems benefit from international talent, but mobility remains uneven across countries

International mobility has become an increasingly important source of research and innovation talent. Across the OECD, internationally mobile graduates accounted for 19% of master's graduates and 29% of doctoral graduates in 2023. However, mobility patterns remain uneven across countries, fields and demographic groups. The foreign-born share of doctorate holders, for example, ranges from 5% to 70% across countries, revealing sizeable differences in the attractiveness of R&I systems for internationally mobile talent.

Facilitating mobility across borders can strengthen international research linkages and support the circulation of knowledge within and between R&I systems. Around 10% of scientific authors with affiliations in OECD countries in 2024 showed evidence of prior international mobility, while mobile researchers are disproportionately concentrated in more internationally connected research systems.

A new generation of evidence on R&I careers is needed

Meeting today's talent challenges and expanding opportunities for attractive and sustainable R&I careers requires moving beyond fragmented data towards an evidence base rich and robust enough to inform policy and career decisions in a fast-changing R&I landscape. Future efforts must go beyond counting people to better understand their profiles, capabilities, motivations, mobility, working conditions and long-term career trajectories. This will require greater integration of data across policy domains, stronger international cooperation, and new data sources and methods to complement official statistics, including administrative records, labour market data, and digital traces of scientific and inventive activity. Priorities for strengthening the evidence base include tracking career moves across sectors and borders, identifying emerging occupations linked to critical technologies, and building a more detailed profile of the R&I workforce. ReICO provides a platform to coordinate these efforts and scale them internationally.