Figure 27: Employers of doctoral graduates in South Africa, 2009
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1) Figure 27: Employers of doctoral graduates in South Africa, 2009
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1) These discrepancies in perceptions highlight a number
of notable tensions that policy-makers and academia must consider with regard to the future of the South African doctorate:
• Business vs. academia. What is the responsibility of business and what is the responsibility of academia with regard to skills development?
• Taught vs. inherent. Which skills and abilities can be taught and which are inherent?
• Applied vs. basic and theoretical research.
To what extent can applied research be incorporated into doctoral studies?
• Well-rounded vs. refined expertise. With the growth of trans-disciplinary research and increasing emphasis being placed upon the need for greater exposure of graduate students to a range of theories and methodologies, to what extent can rigour be maintained?
1.11 Where do doctoral graduates go?
Finding 19: More than half of doctoral graduates in
The same study revealed that:
• Around three in five students plan to take up academic and/or research positions after comple- ting their doctoral studies, mostly within a higher education institution or as postdoctoral fellows.
• Around three in five students who work during their studies are unlikely to change their career as a result of their studies.
A survey of doctoral graduates who completed their degrees at the same institutions shows that:
• 67% of doctoral graduates stay with their employer after graduation;
• more than half of doctoral graduates who were already working when they enrolled were employed at a higher education institution;
• 45% of those who were not working during their studies and accepted offers of employment before graduation, took up employment within higher education.
It is therefore not surprising that more than half of currently employed doctoral graduates are working within the higher education sector, while three in five reported have worked in higher education at some point in their career. Only 17% of graduates who take up employment in a higher education institution even- tually migrate to other employment sectors.
As Figure 29 (below) clearly shows, the higher educa- tion sector remains the largest employer both of doc- toral students who work while studying and of doctoral graduates after completion. In terms of those who em- ploy doctoral candidates before completion, the second largest employer is government (15%), closely followed by industry (12%). These employer roles are reversed af- ter graduation – industry employs 19% of all doctoral graduates, while government employs only 9%, indica- ting that doctoral students tend to move away from government employment towards the private sector after graduation.
Figure 28: Current employers of PhD graduates per field of study Figure 28: Current employers of PhD graduates per field of study
Humanities
Natural & Agricultural Sciences Health Sciences Social Sciences
Materials Engineering Sciences,
& Technologies
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
Not-for-profit Goverment Science council Self-employed
Industry/private sector University
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1)
Figure 29: Employers’ share of doctoral students and graduates before and after graduation from public high- er education institutions in South Africa, 2009
This distribution changes when viewed by field of study (see Table 20, below). For graduates in engineering sci- ences, materials and technology, the employer trend remains relatively comparable before and after gradua- tion, with the exception of employment in higher educa- tion versus industry – before graduation most students
are employed in higher education, while nearly half of graduates in this field are employed by industry after graduation. These graduates also tend to migrate away from employment in government or at science councils towards self-employment and the not-for-profit sector after graduation.
* Higher Education Institution
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1)
Figure 29: Employers’ share of doctoral students and graduates before and after graduation from public high- er education institutions in South Africa, 2009
* Higher Education Institution
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1) 55%
50%
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Government Self-employed
HEI* Science council organisationNon profit
Industry/private sector
% of graduates who are currently employed
% of students who were employed at time of enrolment
Table 20: Employers’ share of doctoral students and graduates before and after graduation from public higher education institutions in South Africa by broad field, 2009
Employment sector Field of study
Higher Education Industry/ private Self- employed Science council Government Not-for profit
% of total number of students in specified field who were employed at time of enrolment
Engineering Sciences, Materials & Technologies 49% 31% 1% 10% 9% 0%
Health Sciences 56% 4% 4% 7% 24% 2%
Humanities 52% 10% 2% 0% 11% 17%
Natural & Agricultural Sciences 53% 13% 2% 14% 15% 1%
Social Sciences 54% 11% 8% 2% 16% 5%
All Fields 53% 12% 4% 7% 15% 5%
% of total number of graduates in specified field who are currently employed
Engineering Sciences, Materials & Technologies 34% 48% 6% 7% 3% 2%
Health Sciences 67% 10% 6% 2% 14% 1%
Humanities 60% 6% 6% 1% 5% 22%
Natural & Agricultural Sciences 49% 22% 8% 10% 8% 3%
Social Sciences 57% 12% 12% 1% 14% 4%
All Fields 53% 19% 5% 8% 9% 6%
For doctoral graduates in all other fields of study, higher education remains the main employer both before and after graduation. The migration away from science councils and government is also observed for health science and natural and agricultural science students; students in health sciences tend to take up employment in higher education and industry after graduation, while natural and agricultural science stu- dents move towards industry and self-employment.
Both groups are also less likely to work in the not-for- profit sector both before and after graduation when compared to the average across fields. Health science students are more likely to work in government before graduation than any other field of study.
The employer trend for social science students is very stable before and after graduation, with the only notice- able migration after graduation being towards self- employment. When compared to the average across fields, these students are generally more likely to be self-employed or to work in government, while almost none work at science councils.
Similarly, almost no doctoral students in the humanities work at science councils both before and after gradu- ation. Humanities students also tend to migrate away from government towards the not-for-profit and higher education sectors after graduation, and much larger shares of these students work in the not-for-profit sec- tor both before and after graduation than any other field of study.
The two most important reasons why so many gradu- ates go into higher education are a keen interest in re- search, and the unique opportunity provided by higher education to combine this interest with a passion for teaching. Others indicate that a career in academia had always seemed an attractive option and that higher education offers a challenging and rewarding work environment. The following are the ‘top ten’ reasons why doctoral graduates at South African HEIs consider employment in the higher education sector:
1. Research interest.
2. Can combine passion for teaching and research.
3. Enjoy teaching.
4. Was interested in an academic career.
5. Rewarding and challenging working environment.
6. Was offered an attractive position.
7. Only opportunity at the time.
8. Enjoy learning and disseminating knowledge.
9. Flexibility, able to combine with other interests and responsibilities.
10. Personal interest and development.
Of the small number of graduates who migrate away from higher education, the biggest shift (73%) is to the private sector. The single most important reason stated for leaving higher education is ‘better remuneration’, even though most of those who had moved to another sector felt that their doctoral qualification was still bet- ter suited to a career in higher education (63%).
Employment sector Field of study
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1)
The nature of current employment for doctoral gradu- ates is predominantly research and development (R&D), followed by management/administration and teaching/
training (see Figure 30 above). Consulting and planning are lowest on the list of employment activities.
Graduates employed in higher education are typically engaged in R&D and teaching activities, with many also engaging in management and administrative functions
(see Table 21, below). Those working in the private sector spend almost an equal amount of time on R&D, management and consulting activities. Interestingly, about two in three graduates working in the not- for-profit sector spend time on teaching/training, implying that they are involved in capacity building within the sector, or cascading their research expertise to colleagues through training.
Table 21: Share of doctoral graduates from South African higher education institutions by employer and na- ture of current employment, 2009
Employment sector
Nature of employment
Higher Education
Industry/
private
Govern- ment
Self- employed
Science Council
Not-for- profit
Teaching/training 84% 23% 41% 30% 36% 65%
Research and development 82% 52% 65% 33% 96% 49%
Management/administration 45% 52% 58% 19% 43% 53%
Consultancy 27% 45% 20% 62% 29% 35%
Planning 26% 30% 44% 17% 38% 33%
Other 8% 23% 22% 36% 13% 25%
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1)
Figure 30: Share of doctoral graduates from South African higher education institutions by nature of current employment, 2009
Table 21: Share of doctoral graduates from South African higher education institutions by employer and na- ture of current employment, 2009
Employment sector Nature of employment
Higher Education
Industry/
private
Govern- ment
Self- employed
Science council
Not-for- profit
Teaching/training 84% 23% 41% 30% 36% 65%
Research and development 82% 52% 65% 33% 96% 49%
Management/administration 45% 52% 58% 19% 43% 53%
Consultancy 27% 45% 20% 62% 29% 35%
Planning 26% 30% 44% 17% 38% 33%
Other 8% 23% 22% 36% 13% 25%
Research & Teaching &
Development Management & Administration
Employment sector Nature of employment
Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1) Source: Destination study: a survey of doctoral graduates across a sample of fields and institutions (refer to Appendix 1)
Training Consultancy Planning Other
38.4%
16.3% 15.7%
7.6%
11.9%
10%
Finding 20: A third of non-South African doctoral