Doctorate Holders: Labour Market and Mobility Indicators

Abstract

Having benefitted from highly specialised research training, doctoral holders stand in a position to drive forward advances in science, technology and knowledge about society. Unfortunately, evidence on their careers is limited and sparse, owing, for example, to the fact that standard statistical sources are typically far too small to produce statistically robust results for this population. With a view to better understanding the labour market, career path and mobility of doctorate holders, the OECD, in coordination with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Eurostat, launched in 2004 a specific project on the Careers of Doctorate Holders (CDH). This paper provides an overview of the key statistical and analytical findings that draw on data from the second international CDH data collection conducted in 2010. It analyses the labour market and employment patterns of doctorate holders. Then, it looks at some important specificities of the doctoral job market, such as employment in research and patterns of job-to-job and international mobility.

The study reveals a sustained labour market premium of doctorate holders relative to other highly qualified individuals. Women and younger doctoral graduates, however, fare relatively worse in terms of employment rates. While temporary positions are increasingly common in academics, they are less so in business. Natural scientists and engineers are more likely to be engaged in research, while social scientists find more opportunities in non-research occupations. Earnings are typically higher in the business sector than in other sectors, but there are exceptions.

Job mobility patterns differ markedly across countries, with mobility being more frequent among doctorates not working in research. Oftentimes mobility from the business sector to the higher education sector is higher than the other way around. International mobility has kept increasing over the decade, although less common than it might be assumed for researchers.

A wide range of monetary and non-pecuniary factors contribute to explaining the reported attractiveness of research careers. Satisfaction levels on aspects other than pay are particularly high for individuals working in research.

Additional micro data work provide a clearer understanding on the career advancement of doctoral graduates in research and further information on job-to-job and international mobility patterns according to age, sex, sector of employment, field of science, type of contract as well as involvement in collaboration and networking activities.