Job activity and wellbeing of PhD holders beyond academia: a person-centred approach

Abstract

This study explores the job activity profiles and occupational wellbeing of PhD holders pursuing careers beyond academia in Spain. Given the increasing number of PhD holders entering in careers beyond academia, we aim to identify individual variations in job activities – research, interpersonal and managerial, and business activities – and their relationship with work engagement and burnout. Utilising a person-centred approach, we employ latent profile analysis on a sample of 731 PhD holders, revealing four distinct job activity profiles: Research-Managerial, Analyst, Communicator, and Multi-task. Our findings enrich current understanding of PhD holders’ job activities, underscoring that PhD holders have opportunities to conduct PhD-related activities outside academia, but that their expertise remains underutilised. Moreover, our results emphasise the relationship between job activities and occupational wellbeing, suggesting that PhD holders benefit from engaging in a variety of activities beyond research. Ultimately, they indicate that individual differences are more influential than disciplinary backgrounds, with PhD holders pursuing hybrid careers well positioned for research and dissemination. Implications are significant regarding the role of institutions in fostering environments where PhD holders can thrive.