The Laboratory Council of LATTS (Laboratoire Techniques, Territoires, et Sociétés, UMR8134) joins other research units in opposing the reduction in the number of permanent positions advertised by the CNRS.
In 2019, the number of research positions open for competition fell dramatically by 50 (i.e., 1/6th of the positions created). This reduction is part of a general decline in the recruitment of permanent staff within the CNRS, and more broadly in scientific employment within universities. Since 2005, the total number of CNRS researchers has decreased by 5,001. Furthermore, this decline is set to continue over the next five years: according to the CNRS management, the institution will lose 80 staff per year across all professions (technicians, engineers, researchers) until 2022.
This reduction threatens French public research and the excellence it claims to represent. It condemns an entire generation of young scientists to precariousness by keeping them in a cycle of short-term contracts that do not allow them to conduct research with peace of mind, or by forcing them to emigrate, if not to prematurely end their careers. For these reasons, we are calling for a moratorium on the reduction in the number of permanent positions and the implementation of a public scientific employment policy that is commensurate with the wealth and major challenges of our society.
1 Source: CNRS Social Report, 2016, http://bilansocial.dsi.cnrs.fr