The training and development of young academic plays an important role among the duties of Austrian universities and has been increasingly incorporated into their performance agreements and development plans in recent years. However, with only very limited long-term employment opportunities available to more than 20.000 doctoral students and 2.000 doctoral graduates per year at Austrian universities, only few aspiring academics have a real chance for a permanent and secure job in academia.
The aim of this study was to discuss the career opportunities for doctoral students and postdocs at Austrian universities against this backdrop and to evaluate their need for support in developing career perspectives within the university, but above all also outside of the university. For this purpose, existing data as well as data collected for this study were used.