Ongoing Changes in the Demographic Composition of Postdoctoral Researchers at Federally Funded Research and Development Centers: 2023

This section compares data from the 2023 FFRDC Postdoc Survey to data from the 2019 survey. Although data from the 2021 FFRDC Postdoc Survey are also available, the COVID-19 pandemic likely had a substantial impact on the 2021 data. For this reason, the 2021 data may not be indicative of long-term trends, especially because many postdocs were not able to obtain temporary visas for their studies and training in the United States.^​ This is reflected in the 2021 data, which indicated that both the number and percentage of temporary visa holders dropped but that those for U.S. citizens or permanent residents rose.

The overall number of FFRDC postdocs declined slightly between 2021 (3,637 postdocs) and 2023 (3,629 postdocs). However, the number of postdocs in both years were greater than what was reported in 2019 (3,335 postdocs). This trend is notable because it is the first time since 2013 that the count of postdocs did not increase from one survey cycle to the next (figure 1). However, trends across demographic subgroups varied.

In 2023, there was an increase in the number of temporary visa holders. Out of 3,629 postdocs, 2,010 (55%) were temporary visa holders, which is the highest number recorded by the survey to date (figure 1 and table 1). This increase demonstrates a partial recovery from the drop in 2021, when the number decreased to 1,858 postdocs from 1,906 postdocs in 2019. The 2023 number of temporary visa holders represents an all-time high. However, the percentage of FFRDC postdocs in 2023 who are temporary visa holders is still lower than the percentage in 2019 (55% versus 57%).

Both the number and percentage of female FFRDC postdocs also changed during this period. The overall number of women increased by 20% (168 postdocs) from 2019 to 2023 (table 1). In comparison, the overall number of men grew by 5% (126 postdocs), although male postdocs remain the majority at 72%. Still, this growth reflects a slow-but-steady increase in the number of female FFRDC postdocs, continuing a long-term upward trend that has been observed since 2013 (figure 1). The increase in the number of female FFRDC postdocs is especially notable among temporary visa holders because of the complete recovery in both the number and percentage from the drop in 2021. The 2021 FFRDC Postdoc Survey indicated that there were 446 female temporary visa holders, which made up 12% of all FFRDC postdocs at that time. By 2023, this number rose to 533 female FFRDC postdocs, or 15% of all FFRDC postdocs, which is less than a 1.0 percentage point difference from 2019 (table 1).

Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, 494 female postdocs were at FFRDCs, a growth of 28% (109 postdocs) from 2019 and about 2.0 percentage points above the 2019 percentage. This was a slight reversal of the growth of 3.2 percentage points seen between 2019 and 2021, which reflected the single largest increase in female postdoc employment since 2013 (table 1). Nevertheless, the latest data from 2023 reflect the ongoing, gradual upward trend in the proportion of FFRDC postdocs who are women.

Various racial and ethnic demographic groups also showed some notable changes. Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, the number of FFRDC postdocs who are Hispanic or Latino or Asian increased substantially from 2019 to 2023. Over this time, the number of Hispanic or Latino postdocs increased by 79% (60 postdocs) and the number of Asian postdocs increased by 38% (73 postdocs). The number of White postdocs also increased slightly by 2% (25 postdocs), but White postdocs represented a smaller proportion of all postdocs than in 2019, dropping by 1.9 percentage points (table 1). These changes, combined with the growing number of women, suggest a gradual diversification of the postdoc population at FFRDCs.