The labour market relevance of PhDs: an issue for academic research and policy-makers

In the difficult current socio-economic context, overqualified graduates are increasingly facing challenges in terms of entering the job market and finding jobs which fit their levels of qualifications and satisfaction. Grounded in an auto-ethnography approach, this paper reflects on the challenges that the author (a young female European PhD graduate) experienced when she entered the job market. The ultimate aim is to contribute to the understanding of some aspects of the current situation of numerous overqualified young people, especially in social sciences and the humanities, who have difficulties in terms of simply finding jobs or jobs which fit their levels of qualifications and salary expectations. In this regard, it highlights the responsibility of higher education policies and academic institutions for contributing to the degradation of PhDs’ unemployment and overskilling. Ultimately, it points out possible some solutions such as the potential of interdisciplinary academic research (including higher education and gender research) to successfully inform higher education policy in view of tackling the issue of the labour market relevance of PhDs’ skills and attributes.