French Engineering Graduates in Corporate R & D : Is it worthwhile ?

At the beginning of the 1990s, Beltramo, Bourdon and Paul presented a report for the French Commissariat au Plan on the prospect for the labour market for scientists, and other papers, which showed earnings differences between engineering graduates performing tasks in R&D or not (the first ones receiving 7% less than the others, other parameters taken into consideration). The objective of this paper is to assess to what extent, 15 years later, these results, which indicated lower earnings for researchers, is still valid. The data used in this study is similar to that in our former work. The data is generated from the survey launched each year (each two years until 2002) by the CNISF (Conseil National des Ingénieurs et des Scientifiques de France) amongst the engineering graduates, whatever their age and experience. Usually, around 40,000 engineers answer the questionnaire. In this paper, we used the data from the survey conducted in 2006 and we consider only engineers working in companies. Those employed by public administrations, universities or public research are not taken into account. Weights have been used to correct for the representation of the different schools and the different ages in the sample. In the first part of the study, earnings of engineers working in R&D will be compared with those of the other engineers. Using regression models, personal attributes will be considered (gender, degree, etc.). Specific attention will be devoted to differences in experience. The levels of responsibility which are implied by different types of activities will then be taken into consideration. In the last part of the paper, the satisfaction of engineers involved in R&D and other activities will be scrutinised.