On July 10, the government announced new rules to improve conditions for young researchers.
From 1 October 2017, a new type of fixed-term employment, assistant lecturer, will be introduced for 4 to 6 years. During these years, the researcher will have the opportunity to gain qualifications in research and teaching in order to meet the requirements for permanent employment as an associate lecturer at the end of the employment.
The new merit-based service will mean reduced opportunities to stack fixed-term employment on top of fixed-term employment.
The Swedish National Union of Students is pleased that the government is drawing attention to the insecurity of newly defended researchers.
The conditions for newly defended researchers have long been characterized by insecure employment. According to the Doktorandspegeln (Doctoral Mirror) produced by the University Chancellor's Office, a third of doctoral students were worried about unemployment after their defense and almost half were unsure whether they had support from their educational institution for a continued research career. The fact that such a large proportion of Sweden's doctoral students feel anxiety and doubt about their opportunities to continue in academia weakens Sweden as a knowledge nation.
Choosing an academic career has meant for many people to accept temporary and insecure employment. Like the government, the Swedish National Union of Students does not believe that this insecurity creates the conditions for good research and good pedagogy.
The new rules for assistant lecturers will likely create greater security in the academic job market for young researchers. However, the road to permanent employment in academia is still long.