Besides I'm more interested in helping others and getting this off the ground. But Mr. Burrows says older, experienced scientists are critical to the government's relations with industry. They can attract investment, partners and profile that a young untried scientist could never bring. We're not taking the jobs of young people, far from it. We're out there bringing in money to hire students that otherwise wouldn't be hired.
Scientists are unlike most public servants.
They typically join government in their 30s after completing doctorates. As a result, they tend to retire at an older age than most bureaucrats so they can rack up enough years of service to collect a full pension. The generous early retirement packages were used to entice many scientists to leave early with the promise they return and continue their work. Federal unions say the growing number of honorary and emeritus scientists show that government's science budgets have been cut too deep. They worry emeritus scientists are being exploited as a cheap labour force to replace young scientists who aren't being hired.