Doctoral graduates’ transition to industry: networks as a mechanism? Cases from Norway, Sweden and the UK

ABSTRACT

Increased public investment in PhD education to drive innovation has led to a recent rapid growth in the number of PhD graduates. Academic labour markets have not developed at the same pace. An ever-larger share of the graduates is finding employment in industry. The transition from academia to industry is not always easy. The present study aims to provide insights into the role played by PhDs’ networks in the job search after graduation. Our data comprise interviews with industry-employed doctoral graduates in STEM disciplines from Sweden, Norway and the UK. Our findings show that PhDs’ autonomously built personal networks can help match their specific scientific expertise with labour market demands. We distinguish country-specific patterns and characteristics of the transition, in which regional career paths are more (Scandinavia) or less (the UK) noticeable. The study has practical implications, in particular for PhD students and graduates, related to their career orientation.

KEYWORDS:

• Doctorate holders
• PhD graduates
• doctoral education
• university–industry networks
• non-academic career
• overlapping internal labour markets

Acknowledgements

The authors’ PhDs has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 722295, as part of the involvement in the RUNIN training network. We would like to thank an anonymous referee for the constructive comments provided. The usual disclaimer applies.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Appendix 1. Interview guide.

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Appendix 2. Perceived relevance of PhD studies to industry jobs.

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Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: [Grant Number 722295].