The postdoc paradox: causes and manifestations

Résumé fourni par la source

Academic labour markets show a striking paradox: positions are closely aligned with doctoral graduates’ qualifications, but employment conditions are rather poor. We term this the Postdoc Paradox, the coexistence of a high degree of vertical qualification match with inferior employment conditions in academia, while the private sector offers better pay and job security at the cost of frequent qualification mismatch. We examine its causes and manifestations using the IAB-INCHER Panel of Earned Doctorates (IIPED), comprising employment biographies for 14,308 doctoral graduates in Germany. We find that 93% of postdocs hold expert-level positions, which require at least a master's degree, compared to 66% in the private sector. Yet academic positions are much less likely to be permanent or full-time, and pay is significantly lower. These gaps persist, by and large, during the early career phase. Prior private-sector exposure is the strongest individual-level predictor of leaving academia, pointing to information asymmetries that sustain the paradox. High-productivity graduates are most likely to stay in science despite great employment insecurity relative to the private sector. From a societal perspective, this preference-driven sorting effectively subsidizes knowledge generation, as researchers accept below-market conditions for intellectually demanding, autonomous work.

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