The UK science labour market had a tough 2009, shedding both permanent and contract staff. Despite this some sectors such as oil/gas/petrochemicals, biotechnology plus food & beverage have been resilient to the consumer downturn and have continued to hire scientific staff.

The outlook for 2010 is looking very positive with nearly three times as many companies as 2009, across all regions of the UK, forecasting an increased requirement for permanent staff throughout the coming year. Particular areas where the increase is expected to be significant include the biotechnology, environmental and oil/gas/petrochemicals sectors.

Now in its fourth year the 2009-2010 survey was completed by 554 UK employers of scientists, including food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, oil, petrochemical, biotechnology and healthcare companies, research institutes and government departments. All were involved in recruitment and were mostly working in an HR or senior technical/scientific role. The results show both regional and sector specific trends.

26 February 2010