The Employment Status of Doctoral Recipients: An Exploratory Study in the Netherlands

Abstract

Studies of employment often focus on general labour market developments or the employment status of vulnerable groups concentrated at the lower end of the labour market. In contrast, the employment of highly educated individuals, in particular PhD recipients, has received less empirical attention. This article contributes to this area using data from a web survey carried out among respondents at four universities in the Netherlands. Dutch doctoral recipients have an above-average employment rate of 86 per cent. In addition, when looking at variables related to academic and non-academic employment, demographic variables, such as age and children living in the household, as well as publications submitted and accepted, are more closely related to contract type (permanent versus temporary) than factors such as PhD supervision and labour market preparation. Gender is a particularly important variable related to employment status, with male doctoral candidates more likely to be employed outside academia. We conclude with recommendations for PhD candidates, their supervisors and universities.

What Took Them So Long? Explaining PhD Delays among Doctoral Candidates

“…The Dutch system of doctoral education has a number of characteristics specific to the Dutch context [4]. One important characteristic in relation to PhD completion and delay is the structure of funding and time given to PhD candidates to complete the PhD.…”

Much Ado about Nothing? The Wage Penalty of Holding a PhD Degree but Not a PhD Job Position

“…Research on the incidence and effects of over-education among Ph.D. holders is only at its infancy stage and represents an important part of an increasing literature devoted to the analysis of doctorate holders' career outcomes (Lee et al, 2010;van de Schoot et al 2012;Schwabe, 2011;Auriol, 2010). To the best of our knowledge, the number of contributions covering this issue is limited and the most important papers have been published only rather recently.…”

Gender differences in Dutch research funding over time: A statistical investigation of the innovation scheme 2012–2021

“…Several studies have investigated (other) aspects of gender bias in Dutch academia; e.g. during the PhD-trajectory, i.e., before being eligible for a Veni-grant [23], or after receiving a grant [24]. A very recent study [4] had an objective similar to ours: to study gender effects in the NWO Talent Programme.…”