Employment Opportunities in the Doctorate Manpower Market

Abstract

This study analyzes the extent to which the state of the doctorate manpower market can be appraised by the proportion of new Ph.D.s seeking work but having no specific job prospects. A model is developed relating that market indicator to the supply and demand for graduates and relating first-year enrollment in graduate programs to the level of the indicator. Estimates of the model based on time-series data for all Ph.D.s and individual specialties and on pooled cross-section-time-series data suggest that the employment opportunities indicator provides valuable information about the doctorate marketplace and is a useful non-price tool for manpower analysis. (Author's abstract.)