Current issue of PGR Tips

On using Labour market information

When making career decisions it pays to be as informed as possible. This means not only being aware of your own strengths and skills but also informed about the current doctoral labour market and what your options are. While it is important to hold onto dreams and aspirations it is also important that you take account of the relevant current career environment. Vitae's What do researchers do? Labour market information is a new online resource on the career destinations of doctoral graduates. The aim of this resource is to provide some of the key information needed to make informed career decisions and therefore assist the career development process, which is part of subdomain B3 of the Vitae Researcher Development Framework ‘Professional and career development'

How can you use the labour market information we've compiled?

Find out what jobs exist

Have a look at the occupational information, with profiles on sixty of the most important professions for doctoral graduates. These include numbers of doctoral graduates entering these jobs, brief job descriptions, entry requirements, typical salaries and useful links. What qualifications and experience are required?  What do other researchers say about that career choice?

Find out more about different sectors

Vitae web pages host in-depth analyses of the fifteen main employment sectors for doctoral graduates, including data on which sectors are recruiting, the current state of the industry, future projected trends, the roles that doctoral graduates have taken up in each sector in recent years and useful resources, including key employers within the sector. Who is recruiting people like you? Is the sector growing or in decline?

Start from your research discipline

You may want to look at the available labour market information for researchers in your research discipline. What jobs have others with your subject background pursued?

Don't restrict yourself at first

Read up about all the occupations and sectors that you might consider, however tentatively. It is better to reject a direction after having become informed about it rather than dismissing it out of hand.

Start networking

Use you university careers service as well as your own network to pose any additional questions and find out what it is really like to work in your chosen role and sector. Most people are quite happy to share their experiences. Remember that this may also help you find out about available openings that are not advertised.