Having chosen to pursue your undergraduate degree in the chemical sciences, you are probably now reading headlines in the trade magazines that are describing employment and salary doom for those with a degree in that field. Before you make the switch, let's take another approach to the data. Overall the data indicate that industry is hiring less and that chemists employed in industry are experiencing lower percentage salary gains than they have previously. Although chemists may be experiencing unemployment levels that are unusually high for them, they are still generally finding employment easier than are other U.S. workers. This trend is generally true in both strong and weak employment environments.
Chemists tend to enjoy an unemployment rate that is significantly less than the national average.
For undergraduates preparing to join the work force, this tidbit of information can be seen as good news. Although employers are cutting back and trimming their work forces, what hiring they are doing appears to be of younger replacements who are not usually high wage earners. The experienced chemist expects a higher salary. From an employer's viewpoint, because the technology rapidly changes, both a younger chemist and a more experienced chemist are going to require the same number of training dollars. However, the younger chemist is prepared to accept an entry-level salary.