Calendar year 2021

Graduate labour market statistics

Data guidance

Published

Description

This document describes the underlying data files included in the graduate labour market statistics. This data is released under the terms of the Open Government License (opens in a new tab) and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for Open Data (opens in a new tab).

The publication methodology provides additional information on the generation and interpretation of figures and should be referenced together with the data. The methodology is available on the publication report. 

Coverage

The graduate labour market statistics publication reports on the labour market outcomes of graduates and postgraduates, and compares them with those of non-graduates. The statistics use the data collected via the Labour Force Survey (LFS) relating to individuals domiciled within England. 

This release explores:

  • Employment and earnings outcomes of graduates by their specific characteristics of gender, age group, ethnicity, disability status, degree class, subject, sector, occupation, and region.
  • Employment and earnings outcomes of graduates, post graduates and non-graduates by their age group and gender.
  • Proportion of graduates and non-graduates that work part time by their gender and age group.

File formats and conventions

Format

Files are Comma Separated Value (CSV).

 Conventions

  • ‘:’ samples are unavailable or sizes small.
  • Employment rates are rounded to one decimal place.
  • Median salaries are rounded to the nearest £500.
  • Labour Force Survey (LFS) datasets are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates. In 2018 a new weighting variable was introduced, PWT18, to LFS datasets from July - September 2011 onwards.  In 2021 a further reweighting was applied to the LFS, with 2020 (PWT20) population weights being applied to both the 2020 and the 2021 LFS quarterly data.

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

Employment Rates by Disability Status

Filename
employment_rates_by_disability.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate employment rates by disability status in 2021 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
Disability statusDisability status - Select the Disability Status you are interested in
Employment_rateGraduate Employment Rate
graduate_groupGraduate Age Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you are interested in
High_skill_emp_rateGraduate High-Skilled Employment Rate
Inactivity_rateGraduate Inactivity Rate
Unemployment_rateGraduate Unemployment Rate
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.
  2. Disability status – Disabled/ Not Disabled. This breakdown is based on the legal definition found in the Equality Act (2010) which defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

Employment Rates by Ethnicity

Filename
employment_rates_by_ethnicity.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate employment rates by ethnicity in 2021 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
Employment_rateGraduate Employment Rate
EthnicityEthnicity - Select the Ethnicity you are interested in
graduate_groupGraduate Age Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you are interested in
High_skill_emp_rateGraduate High-Skilled Employment Rate
Inactivity_rateGraduate Inactivity Rate
Unemployment_rateGraduate Unemployment Rate
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.

Graduate Employment Rates and Salaries by Age Group

Filename
gradbreak_agegroup_2021.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate employment rates and salaries in 2021

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
Employment_rateEmployment Rate
graduate_breakdownGraduate Breakdown - Select the Graduate breakdown you are interested in
High_skill_emp_rateHigh-skilled Employment Rate
Inactivity_rateInactivity Rate
medianMedian Salary to the nearest (£500)
Unemployment_rateUnemployment Rate
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.
  2. Caution should be exercised when interpreting salary data - figures are not adjusted for inflation and are rounded to the nearest £500.

Graduate Employment Rates by Degree Class

Filename
employment_rates_by_degreeclass.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate employment rates by degree class in 2021 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
Degree classDegree class - Select the Degree Class you are interested in
Employment_rateGraduate Employment Rate
graduate_groupGraduate Age Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you are interested in
High_skill_emp_rateGraduate High-Skilled Employment Rate
Inactivity_rateGraduate Inactivity Rate
Unemployment_rateGraduate Unemployment Rate
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.

Graduate Employment Rates by Demographics

Filename
gradbreak_employ_demographics_2021.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate employment rates by different demographics in 2021 

(By gender, age group, ethnicity, disability status, degree class, subject group, and region)

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
Employment_rateEmployment Rate
graduate_breakdownGraduate Breakdown - Select the Graduate breakdown you are interested in
graduate_groupGraduate Group - Select the Graduate group you are interested in
High_skill_emp_rateHigh-skilled Employment Rate
Inactivity_rateInactivity Rate
Unemployment_rateUnemployment Rate
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.
  2. Disability status – Disabled/ Not Disabled. This breakdown is based on the legal definition found in the Equality Act (2010) which defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

Graduate Salaries by Demographics

Filename
gradbreak_salary_demographics_2021.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate median salaries by different demographics in 2021 

(By gender, age group, ethnicity, disability status, degree class, subject group, industry, occupation, and region)

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
graduate_breakdownGraduate Breakdown - Select the Graduate characteristic you interested in
graduate_groupGraduate Age Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you interested in
medianMedian Salary to the nearest (£500)
sample_sizeSample Size
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.
  2. Caution should be exercised when interpreting salary data - figures are not adjusted for inflation and are rounded to the nearest £500.
  3. The method for calculating weighted median salaries has been adjusted for the 2021 publication, which has resulted in changes to the back series for several groups compared with previous GLMS releases. Further details are set out within the methodology.
  4. Where no figure is shown, the data has been suppressed due to sample size.
  5. Disability status – Disabled/ Not Disabled. This breakdown is based on the legal definition found in the Equality Act (2010) which defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.

Graduate Salaries by Industry

Filename
median_salaries_by_industry.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Graduate median salaries by industry and gender in 2021 

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
GenderGender - Select the Gender you are interested in
graduate_groupGraduate Age Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you are interested in
IndustryIndustry - Select the Industry you are interested in
medianMedian Salary for Graduates (to the nearest £500)
sample_sizeSample Size
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.
  2. Caution should be exercised when interpreting salary data - figures are not adjusted for inflation and are rounded to the nearest £500.
  3. The method for calculating weighted median salaries has been adjusted for the 2021 publication, which has resulted in changes to the back series for several groups compared with previous GLMS releases. Further details are set out within the methodology.
  4. Where no figure is shown, the data has been suppressed due to sample size.

Headline Figures

Filename
headline_figures.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2021
Content

Headline figures in 2021

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
Graduate Employment RateGraduate Employment Rate
Graduate High-Skilled Employment RateGraduate High-Skilled Employment Rate
Median Salary for Graduates (to the nearest £500)Median Salary for Graduates (to the nearest £500)
Median Salary Premium for Graduates over Non-GraduatesMedian Salary Premium for Graduates over Non-graduates
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.

Time Series for Employment Rates by Graduate Type

Filename
employment_rates_by_graduate_type_200721.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2007 to 2021
Content

Employment rates 2007 - 2021

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
age_groupAge Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you are interested in
Employment_rateEmployment Rate
graduate_typeGraduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
High_skill_emp_rateHigh-skilled Employment Rate
inactivity_rateInactivity Rate
Unemployment_rateUnemployment Rate
Footnotes
  1. Labour Force Survey (LFS) datasets are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates. As such, 2020 figures may not reflect those published within the 2020 GLMS release. Further details are set out within the methodology.
  2. Caution should be exercised in making comparisons to years prior to 2010-2011 as SOC codes were revised by the ONS at this point. Further details are set out within the methodology.

Time Series for Part-Time Employment

Filename
part_time_working_proportions_200721.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2007 to 2021
Content

Part-time employment time series 2007 - 2021

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
graduate_breakdownGraduate Breakdown - Select the breakdown you are interested in
graduate_characteristicGraduate Characteristic - Select the characteristic you are interested in
graduate_typeGraduate Type - Select the graduate type you are interested in
proportion_part_time_workersProportion Of Part Time Workers
Footnotes
  1. The graduate group does not include postgraduates.
  2. Labour Force Survey (LFS) datasets are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates. As such, 2020 figures may not reflect those published within the 2020 GLMS release. Further details are set out within the methodology.

Time Series for Quarterly Employment Rates

Filename
employment_rate_by_quarterly_time_series_200721.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2007 to 2021
Content

Quarterly employment rate time series 2007 - 2021

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
age_groupAge Group - Select the Age group you are interested in
Emp_propEmployment Rate
Emp_prop_lowerEmployment Rate Lower Bound
Emp_prop_upperEmployment Rate Upper Bound
graduate_typeGraduate Type - Select the Graduate type you are interested in
HSEmp_propHigh-skilled Employment Rate
HSEmp_prop_lowerHigh-skilled Employment Rate Lower Bound
HSEmp_prop_upperHigh-skilled Employment Rate Upper Bound
QuarterQuarter - Select which Quarter of the year you are interested in
Unemp_propUnemployment Rate
Unemp_prop_lowerUnemployment Rate Lower Bound
Unemp_prop_upperUnemployment Rate Upper Bound
Footnotes
  1. Labour Force Survey (LFS) datasets are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates. As such, 2020 figures may not reflect those published within the 2020 GLMS release. Further details are set out within the methodology.
  2. Caution should be exercised in making comparisons to years prior to 2010-2011 as SOC codes were revised by the ONS at this point. Further details are set out within the methodology.

Time Series for Salaries by Gender and Graduate Type

Filename
yearly_salaries_by_gender_200721.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2007 to 2021
Content

Median salaries by different demographics time series 2007 - 2021

(By gender, age group, and graduate type)

Variable names and descriptions

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable nameVariable description
age_groupAge Group
genderGender
graduate_typeGraduate Type
medianMedian Salary to the nearest £500
Footnotes
  1. Caution should be exercised when interpreting salary data - figures are not adjusted for inflation and are rounded to the nearest £500.
  2. The method for calculating weighted median salaries has been adjusted for the 2021 publication, which has resulted in changes to the back series for several groups compared with previous GLMS releases. Further details are set out within the methodology.
  3. Labour Force Survey (LFS) datasets are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates. As such, 2020 figures may not reflect those published within the 2020 GLMS release. Further details are set out within the methodology.