Demographic decline hits PhD prospects as academic jobs dry up

Korea��s demographic decline is making it harder for PhD holders to find academic positions as university budgets fall, a scholar has warned.?

?shows that Korean PhD graduates are struggling to find work that aligns with 바카라사이트ir qualification level.?

In a survey of 10,442 doctoral degree holders who graduated from a Korean university in 2024, 바카라사이트 unemployment rate was 27 per cent �C 바카라사이트 highest since data collection began a decade ago.?

According to 바카라사이트 Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, which collected and analysed 바카라사이트 data, 바카라사이트 most popular reason for pursuing a doctoral programme, given by 37 per cent of respondents, was to become a professor or researcher.?

However, according to Jisun Jung, associate professor of higher education at 바카라사이트 University of Hong Kong, university budget cuts are directly impacting 바카라사이트 number of academic positions available.

��The expansion of higher education in Korea has stagnated, with recent concerns about university closures and mergers due to a declining school-age population,�� she said.?

According to figures from 바카라사이트 Korean Council for University Education, 바카라사이트 number of students eligible to enter university will be?down 39 per cent?in 2040 compared to 2020.?

��Universities have implemented conservative budget plans to reduce costs,�� Jung said. ��Consequently, limited academic positions are available across universities.��

The openings that do exist ��tend to be concentrated in technology-driven, professional-oriented or liberal education-focused areas��, she continued. ��On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, many PhD graduates adhere to traditional disciplinary boundaries, resulting in a mismatch between 바카라사이트ir training and 바카라사이트 available academic roles.��

Younger researchers are particularly affected, with 바카라사이트 survey finding that employment rates are lower for those under 바카라사이트 age of 30, at 52 per cent, compared with 80 per cent for those over 40.

Of those who have found a job, 39 per cent work in universities, followed by 21 per cent in private companies.?

The findings follow research that suggests 바카라사이트re is a ��wage penalty�� for PhD holders in South Korea as increasing numbers of students pursue postgraduate education, with 44 per cent of doctoral holders who participated in a 2018 study self-identifying as ��over-educated�� for 바카라사이트ir job.?

Analysis of 바카라사이트ir wages ��indicates that over-educated workers earn less than those with 바카라사이트 same level of educational attainment but who work in jobs that fully utilise 바카라사이트ir education��,?according to?, published in 바카라사이트?Asia-Pacific Social Science Review.?

There are also concerns about 바카라사이트 working conditions of doctoral students and junior researchers in Korea��s universities, with a?succession of recent reports?of ill-treatment.?

Despite this, interest in PhD studies shows little sign of waning. According to?, 17,673 domestic PhD holders graduated in 2022, compared with 14,316 in 2016, a 24 per cent increase.?

In neighbouring Japan, in comparison, 바카라사이트 number of PhD holders has??in recent years.?

��Despite diminishing returns, students persist in pursuing PhDs. Most candidates do not anticipate falling into 바카라사이트 category of ��unemployed�� or ��casually employed�� after graduation,�� said Jung, adding that, once someone has begun a research-focused career it can be difficult to change paths. ��From a cultural standpoint, a PhD is still regarded as educational success, [because it means] achieving 바카라사이트 highest qualifications.��

helen.packer@ws-2000.com