Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025


By James Holohan

Posted: 27 November, 2025

Graduate Outcomes Logo 2025

90% of 2024 Graduates are in Employment or Further Study Nine Months after Graduation

Just over 80% of graduates from the Class of 2024 were in employment nine months after graduation, while a further 10.7% were engaged in Further Study. This is according to the results of the latest Graduate Outcomes Survey released by the Higher Education Authority today.

Background

Ireland has tracked graduate outcomes through an annual survey since 1982 which is completed by graduates nine months after graduation. The Survey is administered by their Institutions, and the results are published as a national report by the Higher Education Authority.

In 2025, just under 71,000 graduates were surveyed. The most common award types were Undergraduate Honours Degrees (49.8%), followed by Taught Masters (27.8%). The most common fields of study were Business, Administration & Law (24.3%), Health & Welfare (16.2%), and Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction (11.0%). In total, 50% of graduates responded to the survey.

The key findings of the survey were as follows:

Employment

  • Overall, 80.2% of 2024 graduates were in employment nine months after graduation (up very slightly on 80.0% for the Class of 2023). Employment is highest for Education graduates (91.6%) and lowest for Arts & Humanities graduates (63.1%).
  • 66.4% of all graduates were in Permanent or open-ended contracts while a further 21.1% were in contracts of 12 months or more.
  • Almost 50% of all Graduates earn over €40,000 EUR.
  • 73% of all graduates were employed in “High Skilled” occupations, compared with 46% of the total national workforce.

Further Study

  • The proportion of graduates pursuing further study is 10.7%. The proportion pursuing further study is highest for Arts & Humanities graduates (21.5%) and Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics graduates (18.9%), and lowest for Education graduates (4.3%).

Other Activity and Graduates seeking employment

  • For the Class of 2024, 5% of graduates were unemployed nine months after graduation. This compares to a youth unemployment rate of 11.4% as of March 2025.
  • 6% of 2024 Graduates were engaged in Other Activities, including home duties, travelling or volunteering.

Dr Vivienne Patterson, Head of Skills, Engagement and Statistics (HEA) said:

“Despite the uncertain global economic outlook and the challenges posed by AI, the overall picture is still one of a strong labour market for recent graduates”.

Higher Education Authority CEO, Dr Alan Wall, said that the results of the survey show the added value of a Higher Education qualification

“It is heartening to see that over 60% of all graduates in employment felt that their qualification was relevant to their employment. Clearly this demonstrates the continued added value of a higher education qualification in the face of other challenges”.

You can view the Key Findings on our website.