Brains are leaking
The scale of employment in Russian science
Tatiana Ratai, Irina Tarasenko, HSE
The HSE Institute for Statistical Research and Knowledge Economics analyzes data on the number and structure of research and development personnel by category, age group and field of science for the period 2011-2020.
The main conclusions:
In 2020 in In Russia, research and development (R&D) was carried out by 679.3 thousand people on the payroll (1% of the average annual number of people employed in the economy) and 109.5 thousand people as part-timers or under civil contracts (hereinafter referred to as part—timers). In comparison with 2019, the number of full-time staff and part-time workers decreased slightly (by 0.5 and 1%, respectively), but compared to the beginning of the decade (2011), the reduction was 7.6 and 34%. The main part of the list of personnel employed by the IR is researchers (in 2020 — 346.5 thousand people, or 51%), technicians account for 8.8%, auxiliary and other personnel — more than 40% (Fig. 1). Part-timers are attracted mainly to the positions of researchers (70%).
In 2020 in organizations that performed IR, 85.5 thousand people were accepted, of which 16.4% (14 thousand people) — after graduation, 18.4% (15.8 thousand people) — from other scientific organizations. 91.1 thousand people left, including 2.8 thousand people due to staff reductions. The excess of the number of those who have left is a trend of the last decade. The exceptions are 2013 and 2015, when the replacement rate of scientific personnel was more than one (Fig. 2).
The number of researchers with a PhD or doctorate degree has decreased from 109.5 thousand people in 2011. up to 99.1 thousand people by the end of 2020. Despite such dynamics, the relative indicators have not changed much: the share of candidates of sciences in the total number of researchers in 2011-2020 remains at the level of 22%, doctors of sciences — 7% (Fig. 3).
Over the past decade, the average age of researchers has decreased slightly: in general — from 48 to 46 years, and for candidates of sciences — from 52 to 51 years. The average age of doctors of sciences, on the contrary, increased from 62 to 64 years.
With a reduction in the number of researchers by 28.2 thousand people . over the period 2011-2020, the number of young scientists (researchers under the age of 39) as a whole increased by 12.9 thousand people (+9.1%), but at the expense of the 30-39 age group. Positive dynamics is also observed in the group of 40-49 years (+15.2%). Thus, the more uniform structure of researchers by age groups in 2011 changed towards an increase in the proportion of people aged 30-39 years (from 17.3 to 27.9%) and 40-49 years (from 13.9 to 17.3%). To some extent, this is explained by the natural transition of workers to the next age group (Fig. 4).
The largest part of researchers (over 60%) perform IR in the field of technical sciences. Traditionally, the humanities and agricultural sciences are the "smallest" areas, but in recent years there has been an increase in employment in them (Table 1).
Russia remains one of the world leaders in terms of absolute employment in science. In 2020, the number of personnel employed by the IR (in full-time equivalent) amounted to 748.7 thousand person-years. According to this indicator, only China (4800.8), the USA (1554.9) and Japan (903.4 thousand man-years) are ahead of Russia [for the USA, the number of researchers is indicated in the equivalent of full-time employment, since personnel data are not published]. The number of researchers in Russia in full-time equivalent (397.2 thousand person-years) currently corresponds to the 6th position in the world after China (2109.5), the USA (1554.9), Japan (681.8), Germany (450.7) and the Republic of Korea (430.7 thousand person-years).
Sources: calculations of the HSE IIEZ according to Rosstat; databases of the OECD (OECD.Stat), UNESCO (UIS.Stat), Eurostat (ESTAT); results of the project "Analysis of mechanisms of strategic management of scientific personnel and approaches to the development of competencies in the field of science in foreign countries" of the thematic plan of research work provided for The state task of the HSE.
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