We have probably lost part of the next few generations of scientists.
I believe many young people go into science because they knew someone in the sciences and saw it was an interesting career and job oportunities meant they would almost certainly be able to find/keep a job. These were often family members.
A few years back, American companies began moving technical jobs overseas. With the recession, many companies have laid off much of their technical staff. I was a research chemist for a major chemical company for 30 years and almost everyone I worked with in research was laid off or forced into early retirement over a 5 years period. Many had to leave chemistry to find a job. This example will certainly convince many students to go into a much safer career.
