Letter: Letters: Surplus scientists

From DAVID MORGAN

I refer to the article ‘Patten ponders back to basics . . .’ (This Week,
9 April) and subsequent correspondence (Letters, 7 May).

The article suggests that there is no real shortage of scientists. My
own experience bears this out and I would go further and say that right
now there is a substantial surplus of scientists, so that there is certainly
nothing to worry about in the comparative lack of new recruits. Furthermore,
we should not be encouraging young people to go into science in preference
to other subjects as their job prospects are no better in science.

Why should there be this surplus? Part of the reason is the government’s
decision virtually to abdicate from public-funded science. This has resulted
in substantial redundancy. Another reason is the shedding since privatisation
by the former nationalised industries of thousands of scientists as R&D
budgets were cut.

But the overwhelming reason is the catastrophic reduction in our industrial
base since 1979. This reduction is of the order of 30 to 40 per cent and
even in 1979 the industrial base was too small by comparison with our competitors.
Industry was and still is the main employment area for scientists and engineers.

The only way to alleviate this problem is to rebuild our industrial
base to at least its 1979 size.

David Morgan Great Bookham, Surrey