Obtaining the first job following the thesis defense
Obtaining the first job following the thesis defense
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Introduction
Introduction
The transition to the labor market following the thesis defense represents an important milestone in the journey of PhD holders. This decisive period is often marked by uncertainty. For those who choose to remain in academia, the majority continue to hold fixed-term positions, at least during the first years after completing their doctorate(Bebiroglu, Dethier & Ameryckx, 2019). Some PhD holders, despite their desire to pursue an academic career, are forced to leave this environment due to the lack of opportunities and long-term employment prospects. When they reorient toward other sectors, the positions they occupy do not systematically require a doctorate, raising questions about the recognition and valorisation of this level of qualification outside academia (Bebiroglu, Dethier, Ameryckx, 2020).
To better understand this transition phase, we surveyed PhD holders on various aspects of their professional journey: the time required to secure a first job after the defense, the nature of this first job (academic or not, with or without research activities), their perception of how easy this transition was, as well as the challenges encountered. By comparing data collected in 2019 and 2022, this analysis highlights trends in the evolution of post-PhD transition. Particular attention is paid to differences by gender, research field, and type of activity in the first job, in order to better capture the diverse realities faced by PhD holders.
Who are the researchers surveyed?
To collect statistical data on the job transition of PhD holders from the five universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (WBF), across all research fields, and to provide an in-depth analysis of their employment status, in 2019, the Observatory launched the “Future of PhD Holders” survey. In 2022, a second edition of the survey was carried out to monitor recent graduates as well as respondents from the first edition.
2019 Survey Sample: Although more than 2,000 individuals responded to this survey, this report includes only those who obtained their doctorate between January 2015 and May 2018 (n = 1,157), in order to ensure relevant comparisons and avoid contrasts between overly heterogeneous profiles. This sample consists of 44.3% women (n = 513) and 55.5% men (n = 642). The average age of respondents at the time of the survey was 33.8 years (SD = 6.0), while the average age at graduation was 32.2 years (SD = 6.0). Regarding nationality, 63.6% of PhD holders (n = 736) reported being Belgian. At the time of the survey, 60.6% of respondents (n = 701), of whom 45.5% were women, reported being in a relationship (married or legally cohabiting), and 44.2% (n = 511), of whom 44.6% were women, had children. In terms of research fields, 43.1% (n = 499) obtained a doctorate in Exact and Natural Sciences (ENS); 32.7% (n = 378) in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS); and 24.2% (n = 280) in Life and Health Sciences (LHS).
2022 Survey Sample: For the purposes of this report, only individuals who obtained their doctorate between June 2018 and May 2021 were considered (n = 857; 46.5% women). The average age of participants at the time of the survey was 35.1 years (SD = 6.1), and the average age at graduation was 32.5 years (SD = 6.1). Although the survey included PhD holders of 67 different nationalities, the majority were Belgian (57.2%, n = 490), and 40.2% (n = 322) reported working outside Belgium at the time of the survey. Regarding family situation, 76.7% of respondents (n = 657), of whom 47.6% were women, reported being in a relationship, and 40.4% (n = 346), of whom 47.1% were women, had children. Finally, the distribution by research field shows that 43.4% (n = 372) obtained a doctorate in Exact and Natural Sciences (ENS); 31.3% (n = 268) in Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS); and 25.3% (n = 217) in Life and Health Sciences (LHS).
Analyses
Analyses
Time to first job after thesis defense
Time to first job after thesis defense
We asked PhD holders who were employed about the time that elapsed between their thesis defense and obtaining their first job, including contracts, positions, appointments, or fellowships. For most respondents in both 2019 and 2022, the transition to employment was relatively quick. The 2022 data show that among the 816 respondents to this question, 76.1% secured a job within four months, compared to 72.5% in 2019. Although this difference is not statistically significant, the trend is positive. Notably, just under half of respondents in each cohort had secured a job even before defending their thesis.
Gender and time between thesis defense and first job. The figure below shows the distribution of time to first employment by gender. For easier interpretation, the data have been grouped into four categories: I already had a job before my defense, 0 to 3 months, 4 to 12 months, and 13 months or more.
Although women were slightly less likely than men to secure a first job within four months of their thesis defense, both in 2019 (71.1% for women vs. 75.7% for men) and in 2022 (73.7% vs. 76.5%), these differences are not statistically significant. Moreover, between 2019 and 2022, time to employment improved slightly for both genders, rising from 71.1% to 73.7% among women and from 75.7% to 76.5% among men. While these increases are not statistically significant, they suggest a positive trend.
Research field and time between thesis defense and first job. The figure below shows the distribution of time to first employment by research field. Between 2019 and 2022, the time between thesis defense and securing a first job improved, with a growing share of PhD holders finding employment within four months of their defense, particularly in the HSS and LHS. This rate increased from 71.4% to 77.4% for HSS and from 72.2% to 77.6% for LHS. Although these changes are not statistically significant, the overall trend is positive.
Type of activity of the first job after the PhD
Type of activity of the first job after the PhD
To better understand the nature of the first job held by PhD holders after defending their thesis, a new question was introduced in the 2022 survey. This question aimed to distinguish the types of activities performed as well as the sector of job transition. Respondents were asked to indicate whether their first job fell into one of the following categories: (1) academic sector for a position involving research activities, (2) academic sector for a position not involving research activities (e.g., administrative or support roles), (3) non-academic sector for a position involving research activities, or (4) non-academic sector for a position not involving research activities.
More than half of the surveyed PhD holders reported that their first job after completing their thesis was in the academic sector (56.1%; n = 456), while 43.9% (n = 357) worked outside academia. Furthermore, the majority (70.1%; n = 570) stated that their first position involved research activities, whether inside or outside the academic sector.
Elapsed time and type of activity of the first job after the PhD. Although one might expect that PhD holders who secure a job quickly would be more likely to remain in the academic sector, the distribution of responses suggests otherwise: access to a first job after completing the thesis generally happens rapidly, regardless of the sector of activity or whether the position involves research activities.
Gender and type of activity of the first job after the PhD. A higher proportion of men (50.1%; n = 219) than women (46.5%; n = 174) begin their careers in academia in positions involving research activities. Women are more likely to start in the academic sector in roles without research activities (11% compared to 4.6% for men). A slightly higher proportion of men fall into the category “outside the academic sector without research activities” (23.8%; n = 104) compared to women (20.9%; n = 78).
Research field and type of activity of the first job after the PhD. As shown in the figure below, PhD holders in ENS are the most likely to start their careers outside the academic sector in positions involving research activities (25.6%; n = 90) and the least likely to hold a position in the academic sector without research activities (4%; n = 14). Those from LHS have the highest rate of employment in the academic sector for positions not involving research activities (11%; n = 23). PhD holders in SSH are less likely to take, as their first job after the thesis, positions involving research activities outside the academic sector (15.9%; n = 40) and are the most likely to hold a positions outside the academic sector without research activities (27.4%; n = 69).
Experience of post-PhD job transition: Perspectives of PhD holders
Experience of post-PhD job transition: Perspectives of PhD holders
We asked PhD holders about their perception of the ease of transitioning to their first job after completing their thesis. The results show that in both 2019 and 2022, just over half of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their professional transition after the PhD was easy (2019 survey: 56.9%, n = 642; 2022 survey: 61.1%, n = 518). A similar proportion reported being aware of career opportunities at the time of this transition (2019 survey: 51.8%, n = 585; 2022 survey: 55.3%, n = 460).
Analyses reveal a significant improvement in the perceived ease of professional transition between the two surveys (χ²(1, N = 1864) = 35.09, p < .001). Compared with respondents in 2019, a significantly higher proportion in 2022 felt that their transition to the labor market after the PhD was easy. Although the trend is also positive regarding awareness of career opportunities, this change is not statistically significant. These encouraging results may reflect efforts made in recent years by universities to support the job transition of PhD candidates, notably through information days, workshops, and mentoring programs. It is therefore important to maintain and strengthen these initiatives to consolidate these gains.
Research field and perception of the ease of Post-PhD job transition. The results presented below focus on the first question, the perception of the ease of transition to a first job, analyzed by research field for both surveys. When examining each field individually and comparing the 2022 data to 2019, an increase is observed across all fields. For example, the proportion of positive responses (agreeing or strongly agreeing) rose from 51.6% to 53.5% in SSH, and from 60.9% to 64% in ENS. The most notable increase occurred in LHS, where the share of positive responses grew from 56.8% in 2019 to 69% in 2022. Despite this overall upward trend, SSH remains the field where the job transition is perceived as most difficult, with both the highest rate of disagreement and the lowest proportion of agreement in 2019 and 2022.
Perception of the challenges of the first job
Perception of the challenges of the first job
As part of the 2022 survey, new questions were introduced to explore the challenges faced by PhD holders when starting their first post-PhD job. The themes of these challenges were drawn from the scientific literature (Skakni, Inouye & McAlpine, 2021), while the survey items themselves were specifically developed for this survey to reflect the realities reported by PhD holders. As these questions were not included in the 2019 survey, the results presented in this section are based exclusively on data collected in 2022. All participants were invited to respond to these questions, regardless of their employment sector or the type of activities they perform.
The results first indicate that the majority of PhD holders do not encounter significant challenges during their transition to a first job. When challenges are reported, they are relatively limited in scope. Among those experiencing challenges, the most frequently mentioned as occuring “to a moderate extent” or “to a great extent” relate to the need to conform to the organization’s official discourse, reduced autonomy in time management, and the prioritization of productivity at the expense of quality.
Perception of challenges by type of activity in the first post-PhD job. One might assume that PhD holders in positions involving research activities within the academic sector face fewer challenges. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a more detailed analysis of the challenges reported according to PhD holders' type of activity. The mean score for each item was calculated.
In the heat map below, the closer an item’s mean score is to 4 (the maximum possible score), the darker the corresponding cell appears, indicating a challenge perceived as more frequent by the respondent. Conversely, lighter celles correspond to scores closer to 1, indicating challenges perceived less frequently.
The highest mean score observed, 2.5, reflects an intensity oscillating between the levels “a little” and “moderately,” thus suggesting that challenges are present but they are generally limited. Indeed, the group working in the academic sector with research activities (n = 381) displays the lightest cells, indicating that they encounter challenges less frequently. In contrast, the group working outside the academic sector in positions without research activities (n = 173) shows the darkest cells, reflecting a higher frequency of perceived challenges, particularly with regard to strict working hours and the recognition of their doctoral expertise.
It is also important to note that PhD holders occupying positions without research activities within the academic sector (n = 58) face several challenges, notably more restrictive schedules, a lack of recognition of their doctoral expertise, and a stronger requirement to comply with the hierarchical organization. Finally, for those working outside the academic sector in positions that include research activities (n = 171), the main challenges identified are the need to adhere to the organization’s official institutional discourse and a marked pressure on productivity, sometimes at the expense of quality.
Conclusions
Conclusions
Overall, the results highlight a generally rapid professional transition for PhD holders following completion of their doctorate, in both 2019 and in 2022. Most respondents secure employment within four months of their thesis defense, and nearly half are recruited even before defending their thesis. The daya show a slight improvement in the time required to access employment between the two cohorts, suggesting a positive trend in the labor market for PhD holders. Contrary to the common assumption that rapid access to employment is linked to remaining in the academic sector, this speed appears relatively independent of sector or whether the position involves research activities.
Regarding the nature of the first job, slightly more than half of respondents report having entered the academic sector, while 43.9% began their careers outside academia. A large majority hold positions that include research activities, regardless of sector. However, these positive trends mask certain disparities. Men are slightly more likely than women to begin their careers in the academic sector in positions involving research activities (50.1% vs 46.5%). Women, by contrast, are more represented in academic positions without research responsibilities. Differences also emerge across research fields: PhD holders in ENS are the most likely to hold research positions outside the academic sector, while those in SSH are the least likely.
Slightly more than half of respondents consider their transition into the labor market to have been smooth. Although this proportion remains modest, it is significantly higher in 2022 than in 2019, reflecting perceived improvement in transition conditions.
Finally, PhD holders occupying research positions within the academic sector appear to face fewer challenges during their job transition. In contrast, those working outside academia, particularly in positions without research responsibilities, report more challenges, notably regarding the recognition of their doctoral expertise and the loss of autonomy in time management.
In sum, progress is observed between 2019 and 2022 in terms of post-PhD job transitions, in both the time required to secure a first job and the perceived ease of transitions. Nevertheless, the results underscore the ongoing need to support doctoral candidates in diversifying their career paths and in better valorizing doctoral training beyond the academic sphere.
Author
Neda Bebiroglu, Scientific advisor and coordinator, Observatory of Research and Scientific Careers
Contact
🌐https://observatoire.frs-fnrs.be
🖇️https://www.linkedin.com/company/observatoire-frs-fnrs
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