Academia covers researchers in higher education institutions, research institutes, and health trusts. The data is drawn from Statistics Norway’s The research personnel register and employment statistics. The results reveal clear differences between cohorts, fields of study, and career phases, while highlighting academia as a stable destination for most researchers throughout much of their careers.
For the 2012 cohort, 64 prosent remained in academia by 2023, while the corresponding share for the 2015 cohort was 72 prosent. Researchers who stay within academia represent a significant proportion, with 59 prosent of the 2012 cohort and 68 prosent of the 2015 cohort remaining in academia throughout the entire period. At the same time, mobility out of academia is relatively limited, with only around 11–18 prosent of those who leave returning to the sector by 2023.
Researchers early in their careers, with 0–5 years since completing their doctorate, display some movement out of academia, particularly to international or unknown sectors. For the 2012 cohort, 12 prosent entered this category, and 42 prosent of them remained abroad or in the unknown sector until 2023. For the 2015 cohort, this share was slightly lower, with 10 prosent leaving and 40 prosent not returning. Most of these researchers have international backgrounds, often from Europe and Asia, and are largely employed as postdoctoral fellows before leaving the country.
The private sector emerges as a stable yet relatively small destination for researchers leaving academia. Around 8 prosent of researchers in both cohorts were employed in the private sector in 2023, and very few who enter this sector return to academia (0.5–1 prosent). The majority remain in the private sector, with 75 prosent of the 2012 cohort and 81 prosent of the 2015 cohort not returning to academia. The public sector represents a similarly small but stable share, with 6–7 prosent of researchers recorded in this sector in 2023. At the same time, the return rate to academia from the public sector is somewhat higher compared to the private sector.
Differences across fields of study are evident in the mobility patterns. Humanities and social sciences have the highest proportion of researchers remaining in academia, with 74 prosent of the 2015 cohort still in academia by 2023. Mathematics, technology, and agriculture show high international mobility and the largest proportion of researchers with foreign doctoral degrees (30 prosent in the 2015 cohort). Medicine and health sciences stand out with stable internal mobility.
There are also clear variations in mobility depending on the time since researchers completed their doctorates. The group with 0–5 years since completion displays greater flexibility and higher international mobility. For the 2012 cohort, 12 prosent entered international or unknown sectors, compared to lower proportions in older cohorts. At the same time, 70–73 prosent of newly graduated researchers remained in academia. For researchers with 6–10 years since completion, stability in academia increases, with 76–78 prosent still in the sector, while career development is reflected in a larger share of associate professor positions (28–29 prosent) and professor positions (20 prosent). Among researchers with more than 10 years since completion, stability is highest, though the share remaining in academia decreases slightly to 56–67 prosent, largely due to retirements (15–25 prosent).
Overall, the analysis shows that academia represents a stable career path for researchers, characterized by a high degree of continuity and limited mobility out of the sector. At the same time, mobility reflects both structural factors, such as internationalization, and individual career choices, where younger researchers tend to explore international opportunities early in their careers before potentially returning to academia.