The employment destination of PhD-holders in Italy: Non-academic funded projects as drivers of successful segmentation. European Journal of Education

In high-incomecountries in recent years, the non-academiclabour market destination of PhD-holders,i.e., the segmentationby industry sector of destination, has emerged as anissue. Universities and other research-intensiveinstitutionscan no longer absorb the major share of PhD-holders.Theiremployment has become a matter of segmentation bothhorizontally in terms of the economy and vertically in termsof income. The article reports on outcomes from analysisthat tested what factors segment labour market outcomesin two dimensions: (1) the economic sector and (2) income.Findings suggest that scientific mobility and type of fundingduring PhD studies do not play a notable role. Instead,some types of experiences such as a postdoctoral researchposition, predict exit from academic employment andalso a higher income overall. The most significant experiencesthat contribute to segmentation are in fact projectsfunded by private companies or international organisationsin postdoctoral periods. Implications for policy making arerelevant for both PhD-holders,universities and externalorganisations. For instance, maximising collaborations betweennon-academicemployers and universities is likely toproduce beneficial outcomes for PhD-holders.