New data show the U.S. job market for scientific research and development roles has narrowed significantly this year amid federal funding cuts and mass layoffs at health agencies, Bloomberg reported May 22.
Four things to know:
1. Job postings for scientific research and development roles have fallen 18% since January under the Trump administration, according to data from Indeed Hiring Lab cited by Bloomberg. In contrast, the total number of vacancies across all public and private sector industries declined just 4% during the same time period.
2. Layoffs at the CDC, FDA and National Institutes of Heath have reduced federal employment opportunities for researchers and public health professionals. Funding cuts have also spurred some institutions, such as Columbia University, to lay off researchers who were supported by now-terminated federal grants. Drugmakers, biotech companies and other players in the private research and development sector are also increasingly cutting positions.
3. Hospitals and health systems are monitoring how the cuts could affect academic and clinical innovation workforce pipelines. The full impact on academic hiring may not be clear until later this year, as the tenure-track recruitment often peaks in late summer and fall, according to Anna Airoldi, PhD, an economist at the workforce intelligence firm Revelio Labs.
4. The shrinking job market is pushing many public health graduates to look beyond traditional career pathways, according to Daniele Fallin, PhD, dean of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. She told Bloomberg many graduates who once aspired to federal roles are now considering positions at state and local health agencies, consulting firms and corporate wellness departments.
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