Science suggests that more than 10,000 PhD holders in STEM fields have left the US federal workforce since 2017. However, this exodus isn’t as bleak as it seems. In reality, about 86% of the remaining 730,000 STEM PhDs are still employed or retired. The majority of departures were due to factors such as buyout offers, disagreements with Trump policies, and retirement. A more pressing issue is whether we’ve created a surplus of scientists in the first place. With each new PhD award, the market is flooded with job applicants, making it challenging for universities to hire them. To address this glut, reducing the number of PhDs awarded could be a solution, but doing so would require significant changes in university policies and funding priorities.
Source: https://mindingthecampus.org/2026/02/13/10000-phds