Моделиране на възвращаемостта от образование и реализация на притежателите на докторски степени на пазара на труда в България

In this study we present the theoretical framework of the so called Mincerian equations used for modelling returns to education. Then, we construct a conceptual framework which allows us to answer the question “What happens to doctoral degree holders in the labour market?”. We analyse data for about 45,000 PhD graduates in Bulgaria from the NSI survey Career development of PhD degree holders run in 2007, 2009, and 2010. An attempt is made to measure pay gaps in terms of gender and major of study. Using Mincerian equations, we calculate these pay gaps, and thus we answer the question whether there are any income differences among doctoral degree holders. We find out that a doctoral degree holder in natural or technical science has a significantly higher return than a degree holder in social or humanitarian studies. Another finding is that the greatest gender pay gaps are observed in social and humanitarian studies while the smallest gap is in natural and technical sciences.