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Published: 20 March 2014

A growing number of doctorate degrees attained by foreigners

A total of 1,143 doctorate degrees were attained in 2000. Of these, 87 were attained by foreign citizens, i.e. close on eight per cent. The median age of those having completed doctorate degrees was 35.7 years. Nearly 55 per cent of them were men. According to Statistics Finland, a good decade later the corresponding figures were 1,655 new doctorate degrees, of which slightly over one-half were attained by women. The new doctors were slightly younger, the median age 35.3 years. The share of foreign citizens was nearly 18 per cent and the number of degrees was more than triple, 293 degrees, compared with the turn of the millennium.

Doctorate degrees by field of science in 2000 and 2012

A majority of millennium doctors, 28 per cent attained their degree in the field of medical and health, good one-fifth in the fields of science and social sciences, 13 per cent in the field of technology, 12 per cent in the field of humanities, and four per cent in the field of agriculture and forestry. In 2012, double the number of doctors of science in technology were educated, in the field of social sciences the number of degrees grew by 74 per cent and in the field of humanities by nearly 50 per cent. The changes were smaller in other fields.

Where are the millennium doctors now?

At the end of the year in which the degree was attained, 84 per cent of the millennium doctors were employed, 11 per cent were unemployed or in the inactive population. Five per cent did not belong to the population. Thirty-six per cent of them were foreign citizens and the rest mainly Finns that had moved abroad. In 2011, 82 per cent of the millennium doctors were employed. One in ten were either in the inactive population or unemployed. The share of those not belonging to the population had grown by four percentage points.

Placement of employed millennium doctors by employer sector in 2000 to 2011

Of the millennium doctors, 44 per cent initially worked at the university but already in the year following graduation 50 doctors had moved to other sectors. By 2011 the universities only employed one-third of the target group. The share of the enterprise sector grew from 15 to 20 per cent and the other employer sector from six to 11 per cent during the review period. In central government, the share of millennium doctors grew from three to nine per cent at its highest in 2008, after which the share dropped to five per cent towards the end of the review period. Municipalities and joint municipal authorities, as well as central government research institutes have employed the target group evenly.

Source: Human resources of science and technology 2012. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Marianne Kaplas 09 1734 3421

Director in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Appendix tables

• Appendix table 1. Tertiary degrees by the field of science in 1992, 2000 and 2012 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix table 2. Population with a tertiary degree in 2000 and 2011 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix table 3. Population with a tertiary degree by principal activity in 2011 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix table 4. Employed population with tertiary level education in 2011 (20.3.2014)

Figures

• Appendix figure 1. Doctorate and licentiate degrees in 1992 - 2012 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix figure 2. Doctorate level degrees by gender 1992 - 2012 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix figure 3. Persons with doctorate degree, median ages by the field of science in 1992 - 2012 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix figure 4. Persons with tertiary degrees as a proportion of the population aged 16 to 74 in 2000 - 2011 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix figure 5. Unemployment rates of persons with doctorate level and higher level tertiary degree education by the field of science in 2011 (20.3.2014)
• Appendix figure 6. Persons with doctorate level and higher level tertiary degree education as a percentage by the field of science in 2011 (20.3.2014)

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Updated 20.3.2014