Career prospects
During their studies, physicists learn to solve complex problems with the help of their acquired knowledge of mathematics and a physical-logical approach. They also learn how to use laboratory equipment and the technical processing of data. As these skills play an important role in numerous professional fields, there are plethora of job options for physicists.
Physicists do not only work in research institutions and universities, but also in many other professions. These range from research-related companies and the high tech sector to banks and insurance companies. In the recent past, physics, with its many and sometimes very complex data structures, has also produced many data scientists and Industry 4.0 makers.
Career prospects
The career prospects for physicists are excellent: the German Physical Society (DPG) regularly publishes overviews of the professional fields in which physicists work as well as information on employment in its labor market articles.
The unemployment rate determined by the Federal Agency for the group "Mathematics, Statistics, Physics" was only 2.3 percent in 2021, which corresponds to basically full employment. These figures are even lower than before the pandemic. Harald Lesch, famous physics professor at LMU Munich and well-known from various TV shows and books, also knows that "there are practically no unemployed physicists". Furthermore, the number of job vacancies in which physicists can work has risen by around 30% compared to previous years, which is an initial indication of a shortage of skilled workers.
Career path seminar and job reports from graduates
The Department of Physics regularly invites physics graduates to a "careers in physics" seminar to talk about their individual career paths and to provide students with useful tips.
