This chapter considers those graduates in employment nine months after graduation, and looks at the economic sector of employment, graduate occupations, and the types of contracts graduates secure.

Employment details by degree level

Top Tip: Select from the “View by” drop down to view a wide range of employment outcomes.

• Sector of Employment

  All Degree Levels: Human Health & Social Work Activities was the largest sector of employment (17%) followed by Education (16%) and Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Activities (13%). While 17% of affluent graduates work in the Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Activities sector, only 11% of disadvantaged graduates work in this sector. Similarly, while 13% of affluent graduates work in the Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities sector, only 9% of disadvantaged graduates work in the Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities sector.

  Postgraduates: Amongst Postgraduates, 29% of disadvantaged graduates are working in Education, compared to 20% of affluent graduates.

  Undergraduates: At Undergraduate level, 20% of affluent graduates work in Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Activities, compared to 12% of disadvantaged graduates.

• Occupational Group

  All Degree Levels: Overall, 56% of graduates are working in Professional Occupations, followed by 14% in Associate Professional & Technical Occupations. While 60% of affluent graduates are working in Professional Occupations, 51% of disadvantaged graduates are working in Professional Occupations.

  Postgraduates: At Postgraduate level, the differences between affluent and disadvantaged graduates are small. Nonetheless, while 11% of affluent graduates are Managers, Directors & Senior Officials, only 8% of disadvantaged graduates are Managers, Directors & Senior Officials nine months after graduation.

  Undergraduates: At Undergraduate level, 57% of affluent graduates are working in Professional Occupations nine months after graduation, compared to 46% of disadvantaged graduates. Meanwhile, 12% of disadvantaged graduates are working in Sales & Customer Service Occupations, compared to 9% of affluent graduates.

• Contract Type

  All Degree Levels: Contract types did not differ hugely by socio-economic background. While 62% of affluent graduates are on permanent or open-ended contracts, 61% of disadvantaged graduates are on permanent or open-ended contracts.

  Postgraduates: At Postgraduate level, 72% of affluent graduates are on permanent or open-ended contracts, compared to 59% of disadvantaged graduates. However, it is worth noting that 16% of disadvantaged Postgraduate students study Education, compared to 11% of affluent students (Socio-Economic Profiles 2020/21, HEA). Moreover, Education graduates tend to have more temporary contracts (Graduate Outcomes Survey Class of 2020 National Report, HEA).

  Undergraduates: At Undergraduate level, no major differences are observed. Nonetheless, the reverse is evident, whereby affluent graduates are less likely to be on permanent or open-ended contracts (57% compared to 61% for disadvantaged graduates). Meanwhile, affluent graduates are more likely to be on fixed term contracts lasting 12 months or longer (27% compared to 22% for disadvantaged graduates). This may be interlinked with occupational group and sector.

Employment details by field of study

Top Tip: Select from the “View by” drop down to view a wide range of employment outcomes.

• Sector of Employment

  The three largest fields of studies are Business, Administration & Law, Health & Welfare, and Arts & Humanities.

  Looking at Business, Administration & Law graduates, 40% of affluent graduates are working in Financial, Insurance & Real Estate Activities compared to 34% of disadvantaged graduates. Similarly, 13% of affluent graduates are working in Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities, compared to 6% of disadvantaged graduates.

  In Health & Welfare, 69% of all graduates are working in Human Health & Social Work Activities.

  Within Arts & Humanities, 18% of disadvantaged graduates work in Wholesale & Retail Trade, compared to 13% of affluent graduates. While 18% of affluent graduates work in Education, 14% of disadvantaged graduates work in Education.

• Occupational Group

  For Business, Administration & Law graduates, over half of affluent graduates (51%) work in Professional Occupations, compared to 35% of disadvantaged graduates. Disadvantaged graduates are more likely to work in Administrative & Secretarial Occupations (16%) than affluent graduates (9%). Similarly, disadvantaged graduates are more likely to work in Sales & Customer Service Occupations (14%) than affluent graduates (9%).

  Within Health & Welfare, 81% of affluent graduates work in Professional Occupations compared to 63% of disadvantaged graduates. One in five disadvantaged graduates work in Caring, Leisure & Other Service Occupations, compared to 8% of affluent graduates.

  Looking at Arts & Humanities, 1 in 4 disadvantaged graduates work in Sales & Customer Service Occupations, compared to 17% of affluent graduates. Meanwhile, affluent graduates are more likely to work in Professional Occupations (32%) than disadvantaged graduates (22%).

• Contract Type

  In Business, Administration & Law, 64% of affluent graduates are on permanent or open-ended contracts, compared to 58% of disadvantaged graduates.

  For Health & Welfare graduates, disadvantaged graduates are more likely to be on permanent or open-ended contracts, and less likely to be on fixed term contracts lasting 12 months or longer, compared to affluent graduates. However, it is worth noting that this is likely related to the differing occupation choices as noted above.

  In Arts & Humanities, no major differences exist between affluent and disadvantaged graduates, in terms of contract types.

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