Prospects at Jisc release What do graduates do? report
Published by Prospects Luminate, the What do graduates do? (WDGD?) 2022 report reveals how employable and resilient UK graduates are, and how rapidly the graduate labour market has bounced back from COVID-19
Graduates surveyed for this edition of WDGD? completed their studies during the pandemic and despite graduating into an economy where recruitment was at 30% of its normal levels (the lowest on record) the report found that:
- The majority of graduates (80%) were in some form of employment.
- Three quarters of working 2020 graduates were in professional-level employment - more than the previous cohort.
- Just 4.2% of 2020 graduates were unemployed 15 months after graduation.
Released today (8 December 2022) by Prospects the report demonstrates that the employment situation for graduates isn't as bad as previously feared. In fact, the WDGD? 2022 figures are not dissimilar to those we’d expect to see from a 'normal' year.
Other key findings include:
- A small proportion (1%) of 2020 graduates were working unpaid or doing voluntary work 15 months after graduation. 72% of these graduates said their activity was on track with their plans and 88% said their work was meaningful.
- One fifth were in further study (including both full and part time study and those combining work and study). A Masters was the most common qualification.
- 95% of graduates who gained their degree through an apprenticeship were in professional-level employment.
- One in ten employed graduates were either self-employed or actively working towards self-employment.
The 2022 report also shines a light on the inequalities that persist in graduate employment outcomes:
- White graduates were more likely to be in employment (70%) and professional-level roles (74%) 15 months after graduation than their black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) counterparts - 65% and 72% respectively.
- Graduates with a first-class degree were more likely to be in full-time employment (71%) than those with a 2:1 (67%), 2:2 (67%) or Third (69%).
Read the full What do graduates do? 2022 report.
Find out more
- Search for graduate jobs.
- Read up on Masters degrees.
- Find out more about self-employment.
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