United Nations
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Physicist at an international organisation
In 2003, I wrote an article in German reflecting on my first five years as a physicist working with an international organization in Vienna: the CTBTO. Its full name is the Provisional Technical Secretariat of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). After completing my first term there, I returned to academia as a university professor and collaborated on a research project with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Later, I rejoined the CTBTO and spent another twelve years contributing to its mission. Today, I work as a freelancer, helping to make nuclear science actionable for international peace and security, and supporting scientists as they grow and…
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UN Job Trends: From Expansion to Transformation
Since 2000, the timeline histogram clearly illustrates the significant expansion of the UN’s institutional workforce in the early 21st century and its subsequent stabilization into a large, complex system of around 130,000 core international and nationally recruited staff. How will it change in future? There are two phases: The current situation is characterized by three driving forces: Future Trends & Projections For a job seeker, this means: * Focus on acquiring the “future skills” highlighted in UN strategy documents. * Understand that securing a permanent (fixed-term) contract is becoming more competitive, while opportunities for specialized, short-term consultancies may grow in specific high-demand fields. * Be prepared for field experience and…
