AGRO needs rejuvenation
The “Grey Gold” in AGRO is a valuable group, but rejuvenation is also called for. A generational change is an imminent and urgent task in AGRO.
AGRO needs more young blood in preparation for a generational change. The present average age in AGRO, excluding PhD students, is 48.9 years. As a curiosity, the average age in 1989 in the Department of Weed Control was 29.3 years.
Age distribution of all AGRO staff:
As can be seen in the above figure, we must expect that 47 percent of the staff will retire sometime in the coming 17 years, either taking early retirement or with a pension; of these 16 percent will step down within the next seven years. If we leave out PhD students, the figures are 55 percent and 19 percent, respectively.
How can AGRO ensure that the generational change will take place without losing competences in public sector consultancy, contract research tasks and research areas, all of which are important elements for continuing stability and growth in AGRO?
Some positions can be taken over by employees who are already on the permanent staff. This has been the case in a single instance in Flakkebjerg. However, most of the positions require new recruitment. This is not a straightforward task.
It is important to ensure an understanding of the special qualifications that are needed to solve the tasks in a sufficiently qualified way. Many tasks require a thorough understanding of conditions in Denmark, including knowledge of soil and climate conditions, and laws and legal regulations.
Another extremely important qualification is command of the Danish language. In this regard foreign postdocs and PhD students are not qualified to handle these tasks. Danish PhD students may be possible successors, but here AGRO comes up against AU’s requirement of two to three years of employment abroad before possible employment at AU.
Age distribution of VIP, TAP and PhD students in AGRO:
Age distribution of VIP, TAP and PhD students in AGRO’s sections:
As seen in the figure showing the age distribution of VIP, TAP and PhD students in AGRO’s , the most striking point is the predominance of employees aged between 50 and 60 in MARK-ØST and STAB.
The question is how the maintenance of the short-term employment solution will influence imminent generational change and if it will ultimately lead to major changes in AGRO’s task portfolio. Only time will tell.