Enhancing labour market relevance and outcomes of doctoral education: Country note Hungary

Abstract

This country note presents the results of an analysis of Hungary undertaken within the Labour Market Relevance and Outcomes of Higher Education Partnership Initiative project. The project was implemented by the OECD with the support of the European Commission with the aim of helping policy makers and higher education institutions enhance the employment outcomes of graduates by better aligning higher education provision with current and emerging labour market skill demands. Doctoral degree programmes in Hungary are now largely tailored toward careers in academia or public research organisations. However, employers in the private sector increasingly seek doctoral degree holders to increase firm-level innovation, and encourage doctoral education schools to equip graduates with transferable skills, which are of increasing importance in the changing labour market. The country note reviews the system context, highlights challenges faced by doctoral schools and lessons learned from current practice, and presents policy options.