Un articolo di Nature sostiene che i recenti cambiamenti del mercato del lavoro stanno impattando anche il mondo della ricerca, portando ad una certa difficoltà nel trovare candidati adeguati per coprire posizioni di postdoc.

Peter Coveney, a chemist and computational scientist at University College London, is ready to hire a postdoctoral researcher with experience in high-level computing. The problem: he’s struggling to attract a single qualified applicant. Earlier this year, he had to re-advertise for the position after two previous rounds of recruiting failed to produce any qualified candidates. He’s worried that if he can’t bring in someone soon, projects will be left undone and his long personal history of grants and publications could see a slowdown. “I’m extremely concerned about the long run,” he says. “At the moment I’m not running on empty, but I might be before long.”

Le cause sono diverse: politica, economia, e una diversa tendenza nei percorsi di carriera dei dottorati. Per quanto concerne il Regno Unito, la Brexit sembra però aver giocato un ruolo decisivo nel fenomeno:

Brexit has undoubtedly created “substantial barriers” to European PhD students who might want to work in the United Kingdom, Coveney says. PhD researchers from the EU would need to apply for a three-year work visa to take up a position in the United Kingdom — a process that can take a month or more to be approved, and can cost more than €730 (US$740) in fees. The actions of the UK government have also created a climate in which foreign researchers simply don’t feel welcome or wanted, Coveney says. He suspects that a growing number of PhD students in the EU will find opportunities closer to home instead of navigating those obstacles and perceptions to come to the United Kingdom.

Tuttavia, il fenomeno sembra interessare anche gli istituti dell’Europa continentale. E c’è la sensazione che non sia limitato al mondo dei postdoc.

The dwindling supply of postdocs probably reflects a growing trend of scientists moving away from university-based research, Lancaster says. “It’s not just about postdocs. You see really established PIs [Principal Investigators, ndr] starting to leave academia. People choose academia for the intellectual freedom. But now there are private institutions offering that same intellectual freedom with better salaries and working conditions. What is academia even offering any more?”