News: 0178153673

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PhD Graduates Far Exceed Academic Job Openings (nature.com)

(Monday June 23, 2025 @05:22PM (msmash) from the when-everyone-has-a-doctorate dept.)


The number of doctoral graduates globally has grown steadily over recent decades, creating a massive imbalance [1]between PhD holders and available academic positions . Among the 38 OECD countries, new doctorate holders almost doubled between 1998 and 2017.

China's doctoral enrollment has exploded from around 300,000 students in 2013 to more than 600,000 in 2023. This growth has forced PhD graduates into non-academic careers at unprecedented rates. A 2023 study of more than 4,500 PhD graduates in the United Kingdom found over two-thirds were employed outside academia.

In South Africa, 18% of more than 6,000 PhD graduates reported difficulty finding jobs related to their expertise. Some countries have begun adapting their doctoral programs. Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom now offer training and paid internships during doctoral studies, including "industrial PhD" programs where students conduct research in collaboration with companies.



[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01855-w



Excess Ph'Ds (Score:2)

by Retired Chemist ( 5039029 )

So, get a job doing something useful. Of course, if your major was artistic welding that might be more difficult, but that was your choice. Academic careers should not be the objective of most students.

Re: (Score:3)

by KGIII ( 973947 )

I suspect that artistic welders could get jobs. They'd not be as artistic as they'd like, but they'd be welding.

Also, I wonder how many of these degrees are all that valid. I don't want to point fingers, but some parts of the globe have a reputation for less than ideal academic scruples.

and that 500K student loan can be come hopeless wi (Score:2)

by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 )

and that 500K student loan can be come hopeless with no bankruptcy

college for all / you must to go to college put us (Score:2)

by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 )

college for all / you must to go to college put us on this path.

We need less college and more trades.

That doesn't work. (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

Who's going to employ all those tradesmen?

I can tell you that when I was dirt poor I wasn't calling a plumber. I would jury rig it myself. Badly, and with great difficulty and the help of multiple friends who were also doing a half assed job, but the plumber didn't get the money.

The way our economy has functioned is that we have a large number of ultra high productivity individuals functioning as consumers and keeping the whole mess going.

You train everybody to be plumbers and general contractor

Federal Jobs Guarantee (Score:2)

by rsilvergun ( 571051 )

There's plenty of use for PHds. If the private sector won't do their job we'll do it for them.

Re: (Score:2)

by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

The private sector is doing the job. That's where people with PhDs are ending up. It's right there in the summary.

I'm regretting (Score:2)

by fjo3 ( 1399739 )

...my PhD in Womyn Studies. Doesn't seem like it is going to pay off. It looked like such a promising career too! Oh well, I'll just learn to code.

K... (Score:2)

by locater16 ( 2326718 )

Maybe they're trying to take non academic jobs.

Five of my friends have PhDs (Score:2)

by thegarbz ( 1787294 )

Precisely none of them got their PhDs with a goal to get a job in academia. They all work in private sector now, either in R&D or as specialists.

T-1's congested due to porn traffic to the news server.