The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) have released their 2013/14 Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, providing an insight to what graduates are doing six months after graduation.
The publication comes at a time of debate about the survey and questions about whether it provides an accurate picture of graduate success. Professor Edward Peck, Vice Chancellor at Nottingham Trent University explores some of these issues in his blog Finding new ways to measure graduate success. HESA have also announced the start of a long-awaited review of the survey, which is expected to set the future direction of the exercise.
However the survey results show that there has been a rise in professional employment and a fall in unemployment amongst graduates. 69% of graduates working were in professional occupations, 4% higher than two years ago. Working was given as the most important activity by 73% of 2013/14 UK domicile, full time, first degree leavers (up from 70% for 2011/12 leavers).
The proportion of leavers unemployed has fallen to 7% for 2013/14 UK domicile, full time, first degree graduates (from 9% for 2011/12 graduates). 19% of those unemployed were due to start work within a month of completing the survey, says the report.
Male graduates are more likely to be unemployed and less likely to be working than female graduates, according to the report. 74% of female graduates were working and 6% were unemployed compared to 71% of male graduates working and 8% unemployed. Despite this, male graduates were more likely to be employed in professional occupations than female graduates (51% to 49%).
Of the 2013/14 UK domicile, full time, first degree leavers in employment, 59% were employed on permanent or open-ended contracts. A further 25% were on a fixed term contract and 5% were self-employed/freelance.
Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education 2013/14 is available here.
