Job Security for Experienced Chemists Still Quite Vulnerable

There is both good news and bad news in the latest reports by the ACS Committee on Professional Relations (CPR) on the multiple termination of chemical professionals. The good news is that these reports, the 30th and 31st in a series dating back to 1974, each cover only three such incidents—the smallest number ever. They involve a total of 77 chemists and chemical engineers. The bad news is that another 14 as yet unverified reports of such mass firings, involving as many as 350 chemical professionals, are under investigation. Another piece of news disturbing to CPR is that older chemists continue to bear the brunt of multiple terminations. CPR defines a multiple termination as a situation in which the employment of three or more chemical professionals is terminated within a six-month period for reasons other than documented inadequate performance, completion of a contract, or cause. In investigating multiple terminations, CPR seeks information from both terminees ...