Perceived career prospects and their influence on the sector of employment of recent PhD graduates

Abstract

The perception of career prospects in their own sector and elsewhere of recent PhD graduates in academia, non-academic research and outside research was studied. Data are from a survey of 1,133 respondents who obtained a PhD from one of five Dutch universities between early 2008 and mid-2012. Career prospects within academia are seen as slimmer than those outside. This is associated with the current sector of employment: outside academia the negative image of academic careers is still stronger than inside. This association remains when other factors, such as the appeal of certain job attributes and several personal characteristics are controlled for. The chance that PhDs seek employment outside academia because of career prospects depends on how they value positive job aspects, such as intellectual challenge. This leads to selection being biased against certain types of PhD graduates in academia, such as those with a taste for societal impact.