Subject differences in graduate employment across Europe
REFLEX Report to HEFCE No 3 (uses data gathered for a major international study of graduate employment five years after graduation)

Brennan, John and Tang, Win-Yee (2008). Subject differences in graduate employment across Europe
REFLEX Report to HEFCE No 3 (uses data gathered for a major international study of graduate employment five years after graduation). CHERI, The Open University, London.

Abstract

This report examines differences in UK and European graduate employment when subject differences are taken into account. There are a number of distinctive features in the experiences of UK graduates and these are reflected in some of the differences in the ways that the subject of study or programme type influences employment. The study found that there is a much looser relationship between the content and level of the course studied and the subsequent employment experiences, especially concerning the first job after graduation. Many graduates have experienced periods of unemployment (though less prevalent among UK graduates) or non-relevant jobs (more prevalent for UK graduates), but five years on most graduates appeared to be in jobs characterised by considerable autonomy, security and the opportunity to continue learning. And these are all things highly rated by the graduates themselves.

When considering the lives of these graduates five years after their graduation, one is perhaps more struck by the similarities between them and differences, where they exist, may be more attributable to the characteristics of different national labour markets and economies. Thus, the most important conclusion to draw from this report is that the subject differences are not responsible for the differences in employment experiences between UK graduates and graduates elsewhere in Europe.

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