Putting higher education services’ quality at work: The employability of Italian doctors of philosophy

Purpose of the paper: Doctoral degree programs (PhDs) are the highest level of education delivered by universities in most of world countries. Even though PhD courses provide students with high level competences, it has been argued that doctors of philosophy meet some barriers in getting a job outside of the university system. This paper sheds light on this issue, investigating the employability of a sample of people who achieved a doctoral degree in Italy. Methodology: Secondary data was collected from the Italian Institute of Statistics’ (ISTAT) study on the employability of doctors of philosophy in Italy. First, a descriptive statistical analysis illuminated the socio-demographic characteristics of doctoral degree holders who were successful in getting a job; second, a regression analysis allowed to identify the factors which influenced the employability of doctors of philosophy. Main Findings: More than 7 in 10 doctors of philosophy (70.9%) were employed; about 5% of the sample revealed that they had a job and concomitantly benefitted from a research fellowship or a post-doc grant. Less than 10% of the interviewees declared that they were unemployed. Unemployment was especially common among those who achieved a PhD degree in humanities. Doctors of philosophy who maintained to be involved in research activities during their PhD courses were more likely to get a job; whilst the quantity of educational activities delivered to students was not found to influence the interviewees’ employability, the quality of learning experience performed as a significant trigger of students’ ability to get a job. Practical implications: Tailored interventions are needed to increase the employability of doctors of philosophy. Inter alia, the learners’ active engagement in scientific research engenders excellence in the higher education context, paving the way for greater opportunities of employment. Originality/value: The article relates the excellence of higher education to the employability of doctors of philosophy, envisioning several avenues for further developments