In May, Starlab carried out a customer survey on the topic of “Junior staff in the laboratory”. The thoroughly worrying results were presented to the press by Klaus Ambos, Managing Director of Starlab, together with the interview partner Dr. Oliver Zschenker, Head of the renowned Hamburg School of Life Science. 

Numerous professions have long been struggling with a shortage of skilled workers, and with making their profession visible and attractive for future generations. The life science sector is no exception, especially with regard to its laboratory professions.  

Starlab took the opportunity to ask laboratory employees how they themselves see the situation, and almost 300 took part in the Europe-wide survey.  

The core results are as follows: 

- Almost 75% of respondents consider the public perception of the profession "scientist" as (very) attractive. 

- Only 32% believe that the professions "laboratory assistant" and "technical assistant" are perceived as (very) attractive by the public. 

"Our primary aim was to analyze the laboratory professions themselves under the microscope and, based on the industry's self-perception, highlight the existential crisis of young talent," says Klaus Ambos, Managing Director of Starlab, explaining the motivation behind the survey.  

The results show that the laboratory sector, and with it future-relevant occupational fields such as laboratory assistants and technical assistants, are in a crisis of perception and placement. Despite the fact that nursing staff, medical professionals and scientists have moved into the focus of the general public during the Corona pandemic, the people behind the scenes of scientific progress - especially in the laboratory - continue to be left out.  

Dr Oliver Zschenker, Head of the renowned Hamburg School of Life Science, a subsidiary of the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), also underlines the alarming situation: "Since 2014, the number of applicants has been falling drastically because of a lack of information provided on life science professions." 

So what measures should be taken to improve the situation? The respondents answered as follows:  

- 90% were in favour of better earning opportunities. 

-  80% demanded faster promotion opportunities and measures to generally improve the image of these professions. 

- 78% cited that more apprenticeship places were an important factor.  

"As a result of inadequate career counselling and a clear deficit in terms of public interest, young people are not moving into the life science sector," Klaus Ambos summarises. "This can become a major problem with regard to topics relevant to the future, such as climate change or further pandemics." 

About the survey 

For this survey, Starlab customers were asked to complete a short questionnaire via newsletter in May 2021. A total of 284 customers from Germany, Great Britain, Italy, France and Austria responded. 88 percent were laboratory technicians and technical assistants, 4 percent in laboratory management, two percent in purchasing, one percent in teaching and five percent in other areas (pipette service, warehouse, administration). 

About Starlab 

The Starlab Group is a group of companies specializing in liquid handling technology and laboratory products with subsidiaries in Germany, Austria, France, Great Britain and Italy as well as distributors worldwide. The company was founded in 1998 with its headquarters in Hamburg. The product portfolio includes laboratory consumables such as pipette tips, single and multichannel pipettes, cell culture and PCR consumables, nitrile and latex gloves, and other instruments for general laboratory use. A pipette service for pipette brands of all manufacturers completes the range of solutions. Starlab's products and services are aimed at research institutions in the public sector such as biological and medical institutes, universities and hospitals, but also at companies in the life sciences state criminal investigation departments. Its success is based on uncompromising customer orientation and many years of experience in the production and distribution of liquid handling disposables. With TipOne®, Starlab has become a leading supplier of pipette tips worldwide. With an unconditional focus on quality, price and service. More information at: www.starlabgroup.com