munich

Contrary to predictions, the number of academic chairs falling vacant in Germany has dropped by nearly a half since 1993, according to a study by the German Association of Universities.

The Wissenschaftsrat, Germany's science council, recently forecast a “high demand” for new professors because the large number hired in the 1970s would reach retirement en bloc by the end of this decade.

But the number of advertisements for professorships in biology, medicine, engineering, languages and economics has decreased dramatically. Although the natural sciences and informatics have suffered less than the average, according to the association's survey, advertised positions have still decreased by one third.

The total number of professors in Germany has slightly increased over the past six years, particularly in the eastern Länder (states). But the fall in the number of advertised posts could indicate a future decline in the overall number of chairs.

“We are facing the start of a structural change caused by general budget cutbacks,” says Hartmut Schiedermair, president of the association. Saving money by not giving opportunities to the next generation is a false economy, he says. “Our young scientists are being left out in the cold.”

The number of young scientists gaining the Habilitation qualification, which is required by most universities for tenured teaching jobs, has increased by 60 per cent over the past decade. In 1997, a record 1,740 young academics ‘habilitated’, one third in medicine and a quarter in mathematics and natural sciences. Along with the backlog of academics who habilitated earlier, they had to compete for only 1,112 vacant posts.

The Wissenschaftsrat points out that, although the number of university students is set to fall, the professor-student ratio will fall more sharply if the trend identified by the German Association of Universities continues. Students will end up being short-changed, it warns.