Determinants of the career pathways of doctorate holders: Evidence from eight European universities

Abstract In recent years, we have seen an increase in the shares of doctorate holders working outside academia due to the lack of academic opportunities. However, the literature on job opportunities for early-career researchers overlooks the heterogeneous career paths, and the factors impacting these. We study doctorate holders’ careers in research and nonresearch positions across the various employment sectors (academic, business, and other nonacademic) using multiorganisation survey data of 1,678 doctorate holders from eight European universities. Our results show different profiles of PhD holders depending on the career path they follow. First, related to career-related motivations, an important share of doctorate holders aims for a researcher career outside academia when starting a PhD, meaning that nonacademic research careers are not to be seen solely as a ‘forced’ choice. Second, preferences for specific job attributes are also relevant: doctorate holders working as researchers in academic and nonacademic sectors are more driven by intellectual challenge and independence than salary. For business research careers, collaborating with nonacademic partners during the PhD and receiving private funding are important factors. Third, personal characteristics like gender and parenthood also impact career choices for early-career researchers.