Preparing PhD Graduates in Australia for the World of Work

Introduction

The PhD degree develops graduates’ research careers, academic standing, and general societal status, promoting streamlined entry into academic employment destinations (Sinche et al., 2017). It enables graduates to demonstrate superior academic ability and a solid commitment to research and academic achievement. This chapter refers to academic employment as careers within academia, such as professors and academic mentors employed at higher education institutions. Non-academic employment represents careers outside academia, such as in the business, health, and technology sectors. The future of employment is rapidly changing as more PhD graduates seek non-academic employment. While academia remains the traditional career pathway for graduates, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ([OECD], 2017) reported that the largest percentage of researchers in Israel, Japan, Korea, and the USA are present in the business and industry sectors. Similarly, an employment analysis of PhD graduates spanning four decades from 1959 to 2010 has shown that over 60% of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics PhD graduates in the USA are employed in non-academic sectors (Turk-Bicakci et al., 2014). The extent of the shift in employment to non-academic sectors remains varied across different disciplines and countries, highlighting PhD graduates' continually changing professional future and the importance of responding to modern employers’ needs (Reithmeier et al., 2019). The changing employment landscape of PhD graduates is of global concern, placing significant pressure on understanding the shift in employment destinations and adequately enhancing PhD programs supporting graduates’ employability.

In Australia, there is evidence of an increase in the employment of PhD graduates in industries beyond higher education (Cyranoski et al., 2011; Tani, 2020; Universities Australia, 2020). Rather than pursuing a traditional academic career, PhD graduates increasingly secure work in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology (McCarthy & Wienk, 2019). Academic jobs in Australia are limited compared to the increasing new enrolments of PhD students and the number of PhD graduates (Department of Education, Skills, and Employment [DESE], 2019), driving their push toward exploring the world of work beyond academia (Cyranoski et al., 2011; Tani, 2020; Universities Australia, 2020). On average, the number of PhD degree holders in OECD (2019) nations has increased by approximately 8% between 2013 and 2017, making up 1.1% of the population aged 25 to 64. The rising number of PhD graduates is contributing to several factors affecting the shift in employment. First, the number of PhD graduates in Australia has more than doubled since the turn of the millennium (Donnellan, 2019), while the number of available academic jobs has not grown at the same pace (McCarthy & Wienk, 2019). Second, employment in other industries is gaining traction due to the increasing recognition of and demand for innovative research services (Roberts, 2018). Third, other industries present more diverse career opportunities for PhD graduates, providing an attractive alternative to academia for many PhD graduates (Guerin, 2020).