Job Marketfor PhDs, Autumn 2013

Elizabeth WilkinsonUniversity of Manchester Careers Service

What I’ll cover

• Today’s job market– Academic job market– Where do PhD go after graduating?– “Top” graduate recruiters– Recruiters targeting University of Manchester students– Global labour markets

• What UK employers think of PhDs• Which jobs to target• When to start your job search

Academic job market

Looks fairly healthy, but ...

• Increase in senior staff

• Squeeze on entry level positions

HESA – www.hesa.ac.uk

UK data from www.vitae.ac.uk/wdrd

UK data from www.vitae.ac.uk/wdrd

UK data from www.vitae.ac.uk/wdrd

UK data from www.vitae.ac.uk/wdrd

UK data from www.vitae.ac.uk/wdrd

Future?

• High Fliers Research– Graduate Review, Summer 2013– “Top” graduate employers – the big names– Only accounts for ~17,000 graduate jobs

(around ½ million new FT grads in UK each year)

• So, how bad is it …?

High Fliers, June 2013http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/GMReview13.pdf

What are the odds?

Accounting & professional services 3955

Public sector 2988

Investment banking 2343

Engineering & Industrial 1343

Retailing 1220

Armed forces 1212

Banking & finance 793

Law 785

IT & telecommunications 610

Consulting 609

Oil & energy 556

Consumer goods 353

Media 294

The vacancies

High Fliers, June 2013http://www.highfliers.co.uk/download/GMReview13.pdf

The Good News …

• Over 670 ads, for full-time jobs on CareersLink

• More than Milkround, Target or Prospect

• 48% from SMEs

Global job markets?

Going GlobalDetails of local job market for 40 countries

• “Global mindset” – sought by half of large UK graduate recruiters in recent AGR survey

• www.manchester.ac.uk/careerslink

Why Should An Employer Want A PhD?

• 2010 CIHE report, 100 UK senior managers• 7 out of 10 looked for PhDs

LovedAnalytical skills (86%)

Specialist knowledge (86%)Research/technical skills (87%)

LikedNew ideas & ability to

innovate (73%)

So-soMaturity (53%)

Not convinced…Guaranteed high calibre

candidate (36%)Leadership potential (36%)

CIHE report: Talent Fishinghttp://www.cihe.co.uk/talent-fishing-what-businesses-want-from-postgraduates

Which Jobs To Target?

• “PhD/Postgraduate Entry Schemes”– Not very common – R&D, some consultancies

• Direct entry– Where the majority find jobs

• “Graduate Entry Schemes”– Competitive, may be fast track to

management, may accept PhDs– Sometimes a second step for UGs/Masters

When to start looking ...

• Large organisations,

graduate schemes– Often recruit once a

year, often autumn

• Smaller organisations,

“one-off” jobs– Recruit closer to when

they need you

www.manchester.ac.uk/careers/pg