Job security for early career researchers is a significant factor in helping research make an impact.

Doctorate holders’ careers are increasingly diverse and research funders have a strong interest in exploring how their investment has contributed to the career paths of the researchers supported and how their work benefits society. Funders are also looking to understand the challenges, bottlenecks and opportunities at different career stages in order to tailor policies and activities to researchers’ needs. Siobhan Phillips and Rhona Heywood-Roos share some of the headline findings of the European Science Foundation’s career tracking study. Unsurprisingly, employment insecurity was noted as the greatest source of career dissatisfaction amongst researchers and the highest cited reason for withdrawal from research careers. The survey findings also found that ECRs with permanent jobs are nearly three times as likely to have had a significant impact on policy or practice than those on temporary contracts.