The global chemical industry is undergoing rapid and fundamental changes, from the widening of globalized competition, to erratic and dramatic raw material price changes, and the looming impact of "climate change" legislation and treaties. The "Great Recession" has further impacted industry in ways that have yet to be fully understood. One strategy to deal with these problems has been observed in the petrochemical area: close older plants in the US and Europe and shift production to backward integrated plants in the Persian Gulf by partnering with local state-owned companies. A new study is presented that shows university graduates with degrees in chemistry at all levels have been finding it increasingly difficult to find employment, while those with degrees in chemical engineering are very much in demand. This trend is not really new, simply ignored previously, as the data have been available for over twenty years. Inflation-adjusted starting salaries for chemists have remained...