Even though students are individually cheaper, I'm not totally convinced that a largely-trainee work force is really the most cost-effective overall[0]. My pos

Even though students are individually cheaper, I'm not totally convinced that a largely-trainee work force is really the most cost-effective overall[0]. My postdoc lab has gone through 3-4 (and counting) cycles of figuring out how to perform a certain type of experiment, only for the person doing it to move on. Having someone quasi-permanant to keep that knowledge around would not only let the experiments go a lot faster, but it'd save on very expensive, very fragile consumables. [0] Not only are students/postdocs individually cheaper, but there are also lots more sources of funding for them, so it might even be rational for a lab or department, even if it's not actually true for the funder.