development report 2012 - UMAR

152 Development Report 2012
Indicators of Slovenia’s development
Researchers
Growth in the number of researchers slowed
somewhat in 2010, while in the business sector the
favourable trends in the number of researchers
continued from as early as 2005. The total number of
researchers 1 rose by 3.5% in 2010, most notably in the
higher education and business sectors (by 14.4% and
3.4%, respectively), while in the government sector
the number of researchers dropped substantially. In
2010, the share of business sector researchers retained
the highest level thus far, 44.0%. The number of active
researchers is also still highest in the business sector;
in 2005–2010, it was increasing by an average of 11.8%
per year. In 2009, doctors of science 2 represented
15.0% of researchers in the business sector and as
many as 60.6% of researchers in the higher education
sector. With accelerated growth in the number of
researchers, the Slovenian business sector had already
drawn closer to the EU average in 2009 (2010: 45.3%),
but the gap widened again in 2010. As many as
55.8% of all researchers worked in the public sector, 3
which is the largest divergence compared with the
structure of active researchers in the EU (see Figure).
Similar developments are also typical of other new EU
Member States, which appears to be a consequence
of the previous R&D system. 4 Regarding the number
of researchers in all persons employed, Slovenia has
exceeded the EU average for three years in a row (see
table).
In 2005–2009, nearly half of researchers worked
in engineering and technology. In 2009, 5 45.1%
of researchers in Slovenia were active in this field.
A higher share was recorded only in the Czech
Republic 6 (by 3 p.p.). Nearly a third of all researchers
and the highest share (a solid quarter) of doctors of
sciences worked in the field of natural sciences. Many
fewer were employed in medical and agricultural
sciences (7.6% and 2.3%, respectively). Social sciences
and humanities combined employed around a
tenth of researchers and almost a third of doctors of
science. In the business sector, in 2009, two thirds of
researchers in Slovenia worked in manufacturing and
just below one third in services. In the latter, the largest
share was recorded in Estonia and Ireland (73.8% and
1
The number of researchers is expressed in full time equivalent.
The analysis covers solely researchers (without technicians and
other supporting staff).
2
Data based on the survey of careers of doctors of science,
which was for the first time conducted by SORS in 2010.
3
Including the government and higher education sectors.
4
It was characterised by a strong R&D base within public
research institutions.
5
The last year for which data are available.
6
Data on researchers in sciences for old EU Member States are
not available.
67.1%, respectively), while Germany and Finland had
the highest shares of researchers in manufacturing
(79.9% and 75.4%, respectively).
Thus far the actual and potential brain drain in
Slovenia has been low. According to the survey on
the Slovenian emigration of scientists in the 1995–
2009 period (Bevc and Ogorevc, 2011), the brain
drain 7 of Slovenian scientists is not massive, as it is
partly reversing and turning into brain gain. However,
it may become an issue in the future because of the
reasons for emigration (better conditions for research
work abroad, limited job opportunities for young
researchers) and the characteristics of emigrants
(increasingly younger and more educated people
leaving the country). Similar findings were found
among young researchers 8 (Ograjenšek et al., 2011),
according to which no more than 2% of young
researchers worked abroad in 2010. 9
After completing their doctoral degrees under
the young researchers from the business sector
programme, two thirds of researchers found work in
the business sector. The survey of young researchers
(Ograjenšek et al., 2011) shows that just over 60% of
researchers found work in enterprises in which they
were trained. This may imply that many enterprises
availed themselves of this instrument and related
financial support to increase the knowledge potential
in the short term or only for a single research project,
and are not interested in employing highly qualified
staff in the long run or cannot afford it because
of higher costs. However, such results reduce the
efficiency of the use of funds under this scheme.
7
Its share in all researchers has remained unchanged since
Slovenia’s accession to the EU (1% of all registered researchers
at the time of the survey).
8
Young researchers in both research institutions and the
business sector.
9
As at the end of the year, based on the available data of the
Slovenian Research Agency.