For several years, the UK Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) has published the results of their annual Graduate Outcomes survey, which tracks the activities of graduates from UK universities fifteen months after graduation.
The latest data has been used to produce the publication “What Do Graduates Do?” which provides comprehensive insights into the career paths of the 2023/24 graduate cohort. This publication serves as a valuable resource for understanding graduates’ prospects and offers crucial information for individuals making decisions about their future degree choices.
The latest edition of “What Do Graduates Do?” highlights the remarkable resilience of UK graduates during and following the pandemic and is the essential deep dive into the outcomes of students who left university as lockdown restrictions were lifted:
- Most (59.6%) were full-time employment 15 months after graduating, while 10.4% were part-time.
- Of those employed, 76% were in professional-level jobs, a higher proportion than the previous year’s graduates.
- 8.4% of employed graduates were self-employed or working towards self-employment.
- 7.8% were engaged in further study, and 10.5% were combining work and study.
- Despite the challenging job market, only 5.0% were unemployed, which includes some graduates who were due to start work. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-graduates-do
Breakdown by Field of Study:
Technology, Engineering, and Math:
The report shows that STEM graduates were most likely to be in full-time employment after graduation with the highest rates among civil engineers (75.6%), and electrical and electronic engineers (71.2%). For computer science graduates, the IT and telecoms sector accounted for 42.7% of employment. Math students’ employment fell below the average mainly as they had reported moving on to further study. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-technology-engineering-and-maths-graduates-do
Creative Arts Employment:
Fewer creative arts graduates went on to further study (4.5%) or were working and studying (8.6%) than the overall average (7.8% and 10.5% respectively). The number of creative arts graduates developing a creative portfolio (9.2%), running their own business (2.3%), or self-employed/freelancing (9.9%) far exceeded the numbers in other subjects (21.5% compared to 6.8%). https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-creative-arts-graduates-do
Humanities Graduates:
Possessing transferable skills such as communication, collaboration, analysis, and decision-making, humanities graduates often found employment in Secondary Education, media and publishing, and local and central government, Marketing and PR, Administration, and Business sectors. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-humanities-graduates-do
Science Graduates:
These graduates secured jobs in sectors that offer immense challenges in the 21st Century, such as healthcare and the environment that seek to solve some of the biggest challenges that we face, such as human healthcare and environmental degradation, as we seek a sustainable future. Nearly 50 % of Physics and Chemistry graduates chose to pursue higher a PhD. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-science-graduates-do
Social Sciences:
Social science graduates were likely to secure jobs in local and central government. “Almost one-fifth of sociology graduates (19.3%), nearly one-fifth of politics graduates (18.5%), and more than one in ten law graduates (12.2%) worked in local or central government.” https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-social-science-graduates-do
Business and Administration Graduates:
Graduates in this field show strong career progression. Graduate Outcomes data indicate that 65.4% of business and administrative studies graduates are in full-time employment, compared to an average of 58% across all surveyed subjects. Notably, “Economics graduates had the highest average salaries.” Business and Finance is the industry they reported working in. https://luminate.prospects.ac.uk/what-do-business-and-administrative-graduates-do
What is more difficult to track accurately is the Graduate Salary. Questions that become important to consider are; how many hours are graduates working a week or what currency are they being paid in?
According to the data from HESA’s most recent Graduate Outcomes survey of 2021/22 graduates, the average salary reported by first-degree graduates in full-time, UK employment was £28,731 fifteen months after graduation. There are wide disparities between different local economies in the UK meaning that costs of living vary significantly hence the correlation between salary and actual disposable incomes is not considered synonymous.
While embarking on your study journey it is necessary to keep an eye on the post-study employment scenario and make decisions related to either further studies. Engaging in various networking events, doing internships, and skilling up with the required transferrable skills will be essential to becoming an employable candidate.
