Inter-Provincial Mobility of Chinese Ph.D. Graduates and Its Implication for the Development of Higher Education in the Greater Bay Area

Abstract

Based on the national survey data of doctoral graduates in 2016, this article analyzes the influencing factors of the inter-provincial mobility of PhDs, and focuses on the inflow and outflow of Ph.D. graduates in Guangdong. The result shows that if Ph.D.’s institution is located in the same place as the place of residence or pre-degree college, the possibility of doctoral employment in this region will increase greatly. The study also finds that more than 65% of Ph.D. graduates are employed in higher education institutions. These results support the important role of higher education institutions in the recruitment of Ph.D. graduates. In order to better achieve the development goals of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangdong Province needs to pay more attention to the accumulation of Ph.D. graduates for the region through the construction of high-level universities in the future.