A prosperous economy and high quality of life require technological innovation. This is especially relevant in the case of Israel which lacks natural resources. The foundation for creating a scientific and technological knowledge basis lies in the development of a human capital.
The European Union estimates that by the year 2010 it will need some 700,000 new researchers to meet its commitment to increase its investment in R&D to 3% of GDP. Various studies suggest that the supply of scientific & technological human resources does not catch up with the demands of the academic world and of the industry, which in turn could lead to a shortage of qualified human resources in science & technology.
This report was submitted to the National Council for Civil Research & Development (MOLMOP) – the human resources sub-commission – with the objective of presenting data on the science and technology human resources in Israel. This data will serve as a background material for the MOLMOP members when shaping a national policy adapted to the development and training of the science and technology labor force for the industry and academic sectors.
This report includes three chapters:
- Chapter one includes a literature survey on the supply & demand for science and technology labor force in OECD countries.
- Chapter two deals with the supply of science and technology labor force in Israel with international comparisons.
- Chapter three present a description of the science & technology labor market in Israel according to various characteristics.
