Discussion background and purpose

(Background) Working as a postdoctoral researcher is a critical period for career formation. This period is deemed a mandatory step to being engaged in a research-intensive field. However, many of these researchers are too engrossed in dissertation publication and research achievements, leaving them with no room for future career development opportunities. Furthermore, postdoctoral researchers’ career development has been dismissed as a matter for the private sector due to the perception that being a postdoctoral researcher is one of the career paths they choose.

(Purpose) To shed light on the question of whether the subject of "career development for postdoctoral researchers" should be treated as solely an individual's capacity development efforts or if it is a matter that requires institutional support. As of today, statistics related to domestic postdoctoral researchers can only be used to understand the current landscape. Given this, indicators and empirical studies of overseas countries with similar trends to Korea are referred to sheding light on the necessity of supporting the career development of postdoctoral researchers in Korea.

Necessity for supporting postdoctoral researchers’ career development

ㅇ Imbalance in the labor market of postdoctoral researchers → their career is determined by external factors

- Postdoctoral researchers at home and abroad hope to make inroads into public research institutions and universities. However, the demand for postdoctoral researchers from such organizations is not keeping up with the supply of postdoctoral researchers.

- This suggests that postdoctoral researchers, irrespective of their efforts and capacity, may end up landing a job outside of the academic or research sector due to external factors such as market imbalance.

ㅇ Information asymmetry in career options → career goals to become uncertain after entering a postdoctoral program

- Timely provision of career path information is essential for postdoctoral researchers. However, due to the insufficient data available, many of the postdoctoral researchers end up setting their career goals without taking into account various career paths.

ㅇ Lack of career preparation opportunities required for entering a postdoctoral research career → leading to the inefficient utilization of resources

- Despite the fact that the postdoctoral research program is supposed to be a training period, researchers are not provided enough opportunities to conduct independent research and pursue learning apart from research achievements. As such, a weak association between a postdoctoral research program and a future career would not only cause problems with the individual's career path but also translate into inefficient utilization of resources cultivated with public funds.

KIRD HRD Insight

(Program provision) It is necessary to introduce potential career path options from the beginning of postdoctoral researchers’ careers and to provide experience-based programs so that aspiring researchers are exposed to opportunities to plan and manage projects in a real-life-like setting.

(Sponsorship institutionalization) The provision of coherent career-level-based support that can accommodate the needs of postdocs, postdoctoral researchers, and new researchers, is important. An institutionalized support system that tracks and monitors individuals’ career development at each career level is required.