Article by the Coordinator of the Research on Research and Innovation, Sergio Salles-Filho, originally published in Jornal da Unicamp on June 19, 2024. Click here to read the original text.
Well, roughly speaking, we have two profiles: those who have a talent for and preference for deepening and exploring new knowledge; and those who do so due to professional imposition – and, of course, a mix of these profiles. A third profile could be considered: those who envision potential professional growth by obtaining a master’s or doctoral degree without any promise in that direction. These are likely a minority.
The newly released study by the Center for Management and Strategic Studies (CGEE, as portuguese abbreviation) “Brazil: Masters and PhDs 2024” provides information to analyze topics related to the education and professional situation of masters and PhDs (M&D) in Brazil.[1]
The CGEE study shows some important facts:
a) Graduate courses and programs continue to increase, having grown fourfold in the complete series, although at a slower pace in the last five years – which seems natural, after all, expansion cannot continue at an accelerated pace indefinitely, even if the subdivisions of knowledge areas keep increasing;b) The relative number of masters and PhDs (M&D) more than doubled between 2009 and 2021, reaching 9.1/1000 and 4.4/1000 inhabitants, respectively;
c) There has been a reduction in regional inequalities: at the beginning of the series, two-thirds of master’s courses and almost 90% of doctoral courses were in the Southeast Region; by 2021, these proportions had fallen to around 43% and 52%, respectively;
d) Finally, among the good news,[2] it is worth noting that formal employment for masters and PhDs grew at rates higher than the total employment in the country: five and seven times more.
The system is evolving positively. Could it evolve more? It is always possible… And we may have quite a bit to evolve. Looking a little further, the study highlights data that indeed inspire greater attention.
Despite the aforementioned growth, Brazil has low numbers of M&D relative to its population. When these figures are compared with those of 23 other countries, we rank second to last in the case of masters and third to last in the case of PhDs.[3]
Regarding the labor market, although the number of formally employed has grown significantly, the majority of these professionals are highly concentrated in the education sector (72%) and public administration, defense, and social security (14%).[4] It is good that we have qualified personnel in education in the country, especially since all levels of education, from elementary to higher education, have seen an increase in the participation of PhDs.
But what stands out the most, besides the sectoral concentration, are the indicators on the presence of these professionals in the manufacturing industry. Despite an increase in the number of M&D positions in the industry between 2010 and 2021, the participation of this sector in hiring graduates showed a relative decline from 5.4% to 4.4% for masters and stagnation at around 1.6% for PhDs.[5]
The concern with this indicator is heightened when we consider the relative contribution of the manufacturing industry to the growth in M&D positions observed during this period: 1.7%.
It is clear that there are researchers and investment in research and development (R&D) in the industry, but it seems that, despite all the policies, incentives, and investments made to increase the presence of PhDs in the industry, the numbers remain very low, and most likely, the absorptive and knowledge creation capacity within Brazilian industrial companies remains low.
The work of PhDs in Brazil is essentially linked to academia, with the predominant role of research universities, the vast majority of which are public. We have known this for a long time. The recent study reminds us that this continues to be the case.
Finally, it is worth commenting on the evolution of formal employment rates for M&D between 2009 and 2021, which showed a decline of around 5.4% for those who have had their degrees for over ten years. It also showed that graduates have more difficulty finding a job in the first two years after obtaining their degree, probably seeking better job opportunities.
In the OECD study used by CGEE for international comparisons, recent graduates also show a lower employment rate than those with three or more years of graduation. However, the differences are much smaller, and the employment rates are substantially higher: from 88% to 91% employed after graduation. For comparison, the CGEE study shows that, at the best moment (between 2013 and 2014), we had 72% of masters employed and 80% of PhDs in Brazil. In the most recent year, 2021, these numbers were 63% and 73%, respectively.
In summary, it is worth pointing out three pieces of evidence we should pay attention to and take action on: i) continue to deconcentrate the distribution of M&D across economic sectors without harming those who already benefit from them; ii) identify and mitigate the causes of the low hiring rate in the manufacturing industry – the problem is not the supply of qualified personnel; iii) increase the number of positions for newly graduated masters and PhDs and find ways for them not to have to enter the job market only at 34 and 37 years old, respectively, as identified by the study.
There is much more to analyze in the CGEE study.
In times when there is a decline in interest in higher education and graduate studies, we need to generate evidence to help us take action before the opposite happens.
[1] This is a comprehensive database of information on the education and professional situation of over 1 million masters and around 320,000 PhDs graduated in the country between 1996 and 2021. An important and necessary work that sheds light on the situation and, at the same time, raises important questions that need to be answered for a better and deeper understanding of this education in Brazil.
[2] There are certainly other positive news, such as the reduction of programs with evaluation scores below 3 and the increase of those with a score of 7.
[3] Here the CGEE used the OECD study “Education at a Glance 2023“.
[4] Sections of the National Classification of Economic Activities (Cnae). It is important to note that this distribution was even more concentrated in 2010 and has therefore reduced by 2021, especially for the segment of masters.
[5] According to the Survey of Doctorate Recipients and using data from 2021, in the US, about 45% of PhDs in STEM fields are employed in “business or industry”.