Short answers, pulled from the story.
The attrition rate exceeds 50% within four years after hiring for many employees. This high turnover results from pressure to meet production quotas that drives stress leading to departures.
Candidates must hold EPO member state nationality and possess a degree in engineering or science. They also need good knowledge of two languages out of German, English, and French initially.
Examiners start at GS-5, GS-7, GS-9, or GS-11 grade levels and promote from GS-7 to GS-14 without competition among applicants. Those reaching GS-13 become eligible for the Partial Signatory Authority program before advancing to primary examiner status.
Researchers found no statistically significant difference across most categories except when politically active examiners examined software patents. Republican-leaning examiners appear more likely to issue patents than Democrat-leaning ones in this specific sector where discretion is highest.
Thomas Jefferson became the first patent examiner of the U.S. Patent Office while Clara Barton worked there as early as 1854. Albert Einstein served at the Swiss Federal Office for Intellectual Property and Genrich Altshuller invented TRIZ while working as a patent clerk for the Russian navy.