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 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 in England.
This release explores:
Employment and earnings outcomes of graduates by their specific characteristics of gender, age group, ethnicity, disability status and degree class. Further breakdowns are available in the data downloads.
Employment and earnings (nominal and real) 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
‘c’ indicates that suppression has been applied to rates because of small sample sizes.
‘z’ indicates that there were no sample units in that sub category
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 2023, a reweighting was applied to the LFS, with 2023 (PWT23) population weights applied to quarterly data since Q3 2022, superseding the previous PWT22 population weights.
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 graduate type
Filename
employment_rates_by_graduate_type_200723.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2007 to 2023
Content
Employment, high-skilled employment, inactivity and unemployment rates by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) from 2007-2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_group
Age Group - Select the Age Group you are interested in
employment_rate
Employment Rate
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate
inactivity_rate
Inactivity Rate
unemployment_rate
Unemployment Rate
Footnotes
The sum of the employment, unemployment, and inactivity rates do not equal 100% because of rounding and the rates are based on average (mean) figures over four different calendar quarters from the Labour Force Survey.
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Employment rates for graduates only in 2023 by gender, ethnicity, disability, and class of degree.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
employment_rate
Employment Rate
graduate_breakdown
Graduate Breakdown - Select the Graduate Breakdown you are interested in
graduate_characteristic
Graduate Characteristic - Select the Graduate Characteristic you are interested in
hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate
inactivity_rate
Inactivity Rate
unemployment_rate
Unemployment Rate
Footnotes
The sum of the employment, unemployment, and inactivity rates do not equal 100% because of rounding and the rates are based on average (mean) figures over four different calendar quarters from the Labour Force Survey.
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Working age high-skilled and medium/low-skilled employment rates by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) in 2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate
mls_employment_rate
Medium/Low-Skilled Employment Rate
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
The high-skilled and medium/low-skilled employment rates are derived from the 2020 ONS Standard Occupation Classifications code, for further information refer to the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Graduate nominal salaries for those of working age and the young population by gender and industry in 2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
gender
Gender - Select the Gender you are interested in
graduate_group
Graduate Age Group - Select the Graduate Age Group you are interested in
industry
Industry - Select the Industry you are interested in
median
Median Salary to the nearest (£500)
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Median annualised salaries for graduates working in the agriculture, forestry and fishing, energy and water, and other services are more volatile due to small sample sizes in the Labour Force Survey. Gender splits are not provided for the young population due to small sample sizes.
Annual nominal and real salaries for the working age and young populations by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) and gender in 2007-2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_group
Age Group - Select the Age Group you are interested in
gender
Gender - Select the Gender you are interested in
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
median
Median Salary to the nearest £500
median_real
Median Salary to the nearest £500 in real (2007) terms
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Part time employment by age group and graduate type
Filename
pt_breakdowns_emp_by_graduate_type2_200723.csv
Geographic levels
National
Time period
2007 to 2023
Content
Proportion of workers in part-time employment by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) and detailed age band in 2007-2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
pt_breakdown
Part-Time Breakdown - Select the Part-Time Breakdown you are interested in
pt_characteristic
Part-Time Characteristic - Select the Part-Time Characteristic you are interested in
pt_employment_proportion
Proportion of Part Time Workers
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Proportion of workers in part-time employment by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) in 2007-2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_group
Age Group - Select the Age Group you are interested in
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
pt_employment_proportion
Proportion of Part-Time Workers
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Employment, high-skilled employment, unemployment and inactivity rates by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) in 2022 and 2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_group
Age Group - Select the Age Group you are interested in
employment_rate
Employment Rate
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate
inactivity_rate
Inactivity Rate
ppc_employment_rate
Employment Rate pp change
ppc_hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate pp change
ppc_inactivity_rate
Inactivity Rate pp change
ppc_unemployment_rate
Unemployment Rate pp change
unemployment_rate
Unemployment Rate
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Type of employment (high-skilled and medium/low-skilled) by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) and population group (working age and young) in 2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_range
Age range - Select the Age band you are interested in
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate
mls_employment_rate
Medium/Low-Skilled Employment Rate
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
The high-skilled and medium/low-skilled employment rates are derived from the 2020 ONS Standard Occupation Classifications code, for further information refer to the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.
Type of employment (high-skilled and medium/low-skilled) by graduate type (postgraduates, graduates and non-graduates) and population group (working age and young) in 2023.
Variable names and descriptions
Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:
Variable name
Variable description
age_range
Age range - Select the Age band you are interested in
graduate_type
Graduate Type - Select the Graduate Type you are interested in
hs_employment_rate
High-Skilled Employment Rate
mls_employment_rate
Medium/Low-Skilled Employment Rate
Footnotes
Labour Force Survey data are routinely reweighted in line with population estimates, further details are in the methodology.
The high-skilled and medium/low-skilled employment rates are derived from the 2020 ONS Standard Occupation Classifications code, for further information refer to the methodology.
This release is classified as ‘official statistics in development’ due to sampling variability from low response rates, impacting the data quality as some figures are calculated using small sample sizes, for more information refer to the methodology.