A stated policy of the European Union is that, by the end of this year, there should be an open labour market for researchers. This is a core part of the European Research Area and recognises the need for knowledge transfer. To understand the movement of researchers and their reasons for moving it is essential to have high-quality data. A major survey by the European Commission sought to provide internationally comparable data to support further evidence-based policy development on the research profession at European and national level. It was carried out across the 28 member states and five other countries, including Norway, Iceland and Turkey.
The survey was completed last March and preliminary results are available. One of the most striking is the increase in the mobility of researchers over the past 10 years. Currently, 15 per cent of researchers in the EU are internationally mobile. More than 31 per cent of all researchers have been mobile in the past 10 years, compared with only 17 per cent more than 10 years ago.
There are interesting results for Ireland in terms of PhD mobility. Across the EU, about 10 per cent of PhD students graduate abroad. Ireland is fourth behind Malta, Greece and Slovenia, with 35 per cent of our PhDs being awarded abroad. In terms of hosting foreign PhD students, Ireland is in seventh place, with a make-up of about 32 per cent. The countries hosting the highest percentages of foreign PhDs are Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The UK has about 28 per cent foreign PhDs. For post-PhD mobility, Ireland has about 38 per cent of researchers from abroad; Switzerland and Denmark are the highest, both with more than 54 per cent from abroad. The UK has just below 30 per cent. However, it has the highest total numbers of foreign researchers.
Mobility patterns
There are some very interesting transnational mobility patterns. The main feeder countries of researchers to the UK are France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Benelux countries and Ireland. The main source of foreign researchers in Ireland is the UK, but it should be kept in mind that these will be on a second or third international move. France attracts researchers from Germany, Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and Austria. Germany brings researchers from Greece, Italy, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria and Estonia.
Over the past 10 years, 44.5 per cent of mobile researchers have moved for three to six months, with 26 per cent having moved for more than two years. The motives for mobility are explored in the survey: career progression, the opportunity to work with leading experts, availability of funds and positions are the main factors. Respondents were also asked about the effects of mobility on their careers. On the positive side are the acquiring of advanced research skills, increased international collaboration, patents, and higher-quality publications. However, researchers believe mobility comes at a price, and this includes greater difficulty in finding a job and slower career progression.
One of the principal reasons for the survey was to gauge progress on achieving an open Europe for the movement of researchers. Respondents were asked about transparency in the recruitment process in their organisations, and the results are revealing. For 18 countries, fewer than 60 per cent believe the process is open. These include Bulgaria, Finland, France, Austria and Portugal. Only three countries come in at under 50 per cent – Italy, Lithuania and Croatia. The three countries believed to be most open are the UK, Estonia and Ireland at 80 per cent, 75 per cent and 70 per cent respectively.
There are a number of factors that work against open recruitment. National funding programmes can be closed to foreigners or have application processes that favour nationals. Recruitment procedures in higher education institutions may be structured in a way that makes it difficult for those coming from abroad. It must be recognised that some countries are coming from very different historical situations. For example, Croatia is now making strong efforts to increase the number of foreign researchers.
Researchers recognise the challenges in getting jobs in the higher-education and public-research sectors. Only 25 per cent of PhD students and 20 per cent of postdoctoral researchers are confident of obtaining long-term employment. The full report will be published in September.
Conor O'Carroll is research director in the Irish Universities Association, iua.ie