Tech, science jobs on the rise

Amid concerns over lesser number of students taking up science as a career, a new study has shown that while the percentage of students taking up pure sciences remained static at 21, there was a 17 per cent increase in job opportunities in the field.

In all 27,791 Science and Technology vacancies were advertised in the year 2005 and 32,362 vacancies in 2006, the study conducted by the 'Manpower Management Centre' for the Centre's Department of Science and Technology said.

The increase in S&T job opportunities in 2006 over 2005 works out to nearly 17 per cent, it said.

This follows as a direct result of the government's efforts to improve the science education in schools and to generate S&T employment.

The government had taken a number of steps like hiking the educational budget, setting up of more IITs, NITs, IIITs and IISERs.

The study points out that a total of 5,612 and 5,549 PhDs in science were awarded during 2003-04 and 2004-05 as per annual reports of the UGC. Percentage wise there was not much increase in students enrolment in Science, engineering and technology during 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. It was nearly static at 21 per cent.

During 2005, 3,751 vacancies were advertised for scientists -- 2747 (73.23 per cent) with experience and 1,004 (26.77 per cent) without experience.

In 2006, 4,381 vacancies were advertised for scientists, 3,198 (73 per cent) with experience and 1,183 (27 per cent) without experience.

The maximum number of vacancies for scientists during 2005 and 2006 were in the state of Uttar Pradesh followed by Delhi, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Similarly the highest number of vacancies have been in agriculture, physics, chemistry, and botany.

Distribution of vacancies in academic sector for science faculty for both the years was in the order of -- deemed universities, colleges and institutes, the study said.

Vacancies advertised for science teachers during 2005 were 536 (80.48 per cent) 'with experience,' and 130 (19.52 per cent) 'without experience,' while in 2006, there were 644 (80.38 per cent) with experience and 158 (19.70 per cent) in the without experience category.

There was a marginal increase of 0.18 per cent in 'without experience' vacancies of science teachers in 2006 over the year 2005, the study said.

Sector wise distribution of vacancies of science teachers shows that maximum number of vacancies were advertised by public schools followed by government schools, kendriya vidyalayas and private schools.

The assessment done on the basis of data analysed for years 2005 and 2006 shows that increase in the S&T vacancies during 2006 over the year 2005 is just 17.6 per cent.

The document says that with the growth of the economy remaining at the same level as at present, the generation of S&T employment each year will hopefully remain between 15 to 18 per cent.