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will be adjusted according to the economic
climate. “The main thing to watch in the
coming months is consolidation within the
chemical industry and what that means for
available talent as deals from the summer
are finalized,” he says.
Meanwhile, business conditions have
already affected the job market in the
pharmaceutical industry, where
hiring is down from historic
norms, according to Steven D.
Young, vice president of basic
research at Merck Research
Laboratories. Although Merck
has just announced elimination
of 12% of its positions worldwide
(C&EN Online Latest
News, Oct. 27), the company
is recruiting for chemists at all
degree levels at its West Point,
Pa., and Rahway, N.J., research
sites, in part due to Merck’s
continuing interest in RNA
interference. Merck will also be
hiring B.S. and M.S. chemical
and biochemical engineers in
vaccines, therapeutic proteins,
and sterile processing.
“Last year, our chemistry
hiring was largely limited to
replacement hires due to attrition,”
Young says. “This year,
we’re looking for organic chemists
who have a background in
synthesis and bioorganic chemistry,
as well as chemists with
biopolymer expertise. We’re
also interested in people with a chemical
engineering or molecular biology background
who have experience in expressing,
purifying, or characterizing recombinant
proteins.”
Young adds that hiring in small-molecule
development and manufacturing
during the past few years has been to fill
critical gaps and has consisted mostly of
experienced people. He anticipates that
new skill sets will help drive new areas of
therapeutic research in proteins, small
molecules, and vaccines.
GlycoFi, a Merck subsidiary in New
Hampshire, is recruiting fermentation and
bioprocess engineers, molecular biologists,
and protein and analytical biochemists at
all degree levels this year, according to Senior
Director Natarajan Sethuraman.
Despite recent economic challenges,
many opportunities still require chemists
and chemical engineers, says Robin Lysek,
a human resources central staffing manager
for Air Products & Chemicals.
STIFF COMPETITION
Job seekers still outnumber job openings
at the ACS Career Fair
TOTAL
CANDIDATES
POTENTIAL
OPENINGS
The company’s needs this year are very
similar to last year’s, she says, and in some
areas, “the need is greater due to growth in
several business areas and due to the anticipated
demographic changes.”
Lysek says Air Products is recruiting
both chemists and chemical engineers at
all degree levels for projects in materials
science, physical chemistry, energy, electrochemistry,
and process engineering.
At the Ph.D. level the company traditionally
recruits both chemists and chemical
engineers, but because of business needs,
they’re recruiting more Ph.D. chemical
engineers this year. She adds that 90% of its
job offers among new hires are accepted.
Chemical engineers will be “aggressively
recruited” at Occidental Chemical in 2009, as
well as mechanical and electrical engineers,
according to company spokeswoman Stacey
Crews. Students with strong academic performance
and intern or co-op experience will
be in demand as employers like OxyChem
plan for the turnover associated with an aging
workforce, she says.
“OxyChem’s recruiting
needs are indicative of a changing
workforce within the
chemical industry as a whole,”
INTERVIEWS
SCHEDULED
EMPLOYERS
2003
New Orleans 1,151 96 305 1,751
New York City 1,374 97 291 1,673
2004
Anaheim 1,281 121 271 1,605
Philadelphia a 1,494 107 303 1,602
2005
San Diego 1,296 88 189 1,291
Washington, D.C . 1,927 97 289 1,685
2006
Atlanta 1,256 72 197 1,199
San Francisco 1,213 104 290 1,499
2007
Chicago 1,456 73 683 1,139
Boston 1,526 126 913 1,839
2008
New Orleans b 942 104 805 1,305
Philadelphia 1,276 85 515 1,210
a The National Employment Clearing House became Chemjobs Career Center beginning
with the Philadelphia national meeting. b Chemjobs Career Center became the
ACS Career Fair beginning with the New Orleans national meeting. SOURCE: American
Chemical Society, Department of Career Management & Development
she says. “As the baby boomers
reach retirement age, the workforce
is transitioning to a new
generation.
“THE CHALLENGE for higher
education is to graduate people
who want to learn how to operate
complex chemical plants
safely, responsibly, and ethically.
Our challenge is to locate and
retain them in order to develop
the next generation of experts
and leaders,” she continues.
The petrochemical industry
is also assessing the competition
for qualified chemical
engineers. “Chemical engineers
are being snapped up by lots of
different companies,” says Cary
W. Wilkins, director of recruitment
for the Americas at Shell
Chemicals. “Even within Shell
they are very versatile and can
fit into many different slots, given their excellent
educational backgrounds.”
Wilkins characterizes the overall market
as very good for chemical engineers at
all degree levels and for Ph.D. chemists,
groups that Shell is recruiting. He says
candidates with a strong foundation in catalysis
and nanotechnology are “the most
sought after.” For chemists at the B.S. and
M.S. levels, however, things are looking flat
and are possibly declining, he adds.
Wilkins says Shell prefers to call the
spots its candidates fill “talent positions”
because “what we’re looking for always
goes beyond just their technical knowledge
and aptitudes” to broader achievements.
“The main thing to watch in the coming months
is consolidation within the chemical industry
and what that means for available talent.”
WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 45 NOVEMBER 3, 2008