AIP Statistics on Physics Employment Trends

This talk provides a statistical overview of the employment trends for physicists. The work done by physics bachelors, masters, and PhDs is qualitatively different. This talk will describe the career paths commonly pursued by recent physics graduates at each degree level and will illustrate how these trends have changed over time. It will discuss the indicators that point to both the strengths and weaknesses of the current job market for physicists. The paper will include a discussion of recent reports that claim that American students are avoiding science and engineering. It will conclude with a discussion of the pro's and con's of recent calls for dramatic increases in U.S. degree production in the sciences.