The Rathenau Institute has conducted research on the careers of PhD graduates. The conclusion is that having a PhD has significance both within universities and certainly outside them. Thirty percent of PhD graduates have a job at a university or university medical centre, but the other 70 percent are found in the private and public sectors outside. Thus, the significance of the academic PhD is much more than the significance for the academy itself. There is hardly any question of unemployment. And PhD graduates also put both their knowledge and research skills to use in jobs outside the university. Doing research is a staple of their later jobs. PhD graduates are therefore largely satisfied with their own situation and, if given the choice, would opt for a PhD again.
More information and the report 'De zin van promoveren (the use of a PhD)', only available in Dutch.