Mapping Careers and Mobility of Doctorate Holders

Human resources are recognised as being key to the creation, commercialisation and diffusion ofinnovation. Among them, doctorate holders are not only the most qualified in terms of educationalattainment, but also those who are specifically trained to conduct research. Not much is known howeverabout their career and mobility patterns on the labour market. This is why the OECD launched in 2004 acollaborative project with the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and Eurostat aimed at developinginternationally comparable indicators on the careers and mobility of doctorate holders. An expert groupwith representatives from national statistical bodies was formed to develop the technical components of theproject and start compiling data at national level.This document presents the three main technical components of the project which are: 1) themethodological guidelines 2) a core model questionnaire and instruction manual and 3) the outputindicator tables used for reporting data at the international level. The current draft was discussed by theOECD Working Party of National Experts on Science and Technology Indicators (NESTI) in June 2007and approved for broader diffusion. Its aim is to provide guidance to countries that wish to implement theproject at national level. It is planned to work on a new and improved version following the outcomes ofthe data collection launched in November 2007.

OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers

Mapping Careers and Mobility of Doctorate Holders

Dratf Guidelines, Model Questionnaire and Indicators