Science and technology in the acceding states
Science and technology in the acceding states
Some 26.6 per cent of people aged 25-64 in the EU either work in science and technology or have a university degree in these areas, while in the acceding countries it is around 21 per cent, according to the EU statistics office,Eurostat. Its Statistics in Focus: Catching up with the EU? Comparing Highly Qualified Human Resources in the EU and Acceding Countries reveals that although the proportion of people with higher education is lower in the acceding countries, their science and technology graduates are more likely than those in the EU subsequently to work in a science or technology occupation.
Graduate unemployment is about 3 per cent in both the EU and acceding states. But the jobless rate for people without a degree is higher in the acceding states (at 17 per cent) than in the EU (9 per cent). Compared to the acceding countries, studying science is almost twice as popular in the EU. Engineering courses, however, are equally popular in the EU and acceding states.
Foreign participation in tertiary education in the acceding and candidate countries is generally lower than in the EU and, for these foreign students,science and engineering subjects are less popular than the social sciences and humanities.
