Dutch universities face a shortage of researchers unless they reevaluate the career prospects on offer, according to a recent report. It is estimated that a third of those involved in research are due to retire over the next few years and young researchers are not flocking to universities and research institutions to replace them. The report shows that universities do not have a very good image as employers and that the money they offer compares poorly to business and industry.

The Netherlands also comes bottom of the European league table for numbers and proportions of women employed in science and research.