Statistics on the Employability of University Graduates. SY 2012/13–SY 2022/23

For the first time, Idescat is publishing results from the Statistics on the Employability of University Graduates. These statistics provide data on the entry of graduates from universities in Catalonia into the Catalan labour market, by monitoring their affiliation to the Social Security system for up to five years after graduating.

The employability rate in Catalonia of graduates from Catalan universities in the school year 2022/2023, one year after graduating, stood at 64.2% (65.7% for women and 62.0% for men). If only graduates residing in Catalonia are considered, the rate increased up to 72.1%.

From the moment of graduating onwards, employability in Catalonia increases; that is: in all cohorts, the more time passes, the higher the employability rate. For example, for the cohort 2018/2019, the employability rate was 58.5% one year after graduating and rose to 70.7% five years after graduating.

By disciplinary fields, in the school year 2022/2023 the highest employability rate in Catalonia one year after graduating was recorded in the Legal and social Sciences field (67.4%), followed by the Engineering field (66.6%) and the Health field (64.0%).

As for the salaried degree, 95.1% of graduates from the school year 2022/2023 were working in Catalonia as employees one year after graduating. This salaried degree was higher for women (95.8%) than for men (94.1%). By disciplinary fields, differences in the salaried degree were minimal: the highest rate was in the Sciences field (98.7%) and the lowest in the Health field and the Humanities field (91.7% and 91.8%, respectively).

Regarding the level of part-time work, 22.7% of graduates from the school year 2022/2023 had a part-time contract one year after graduating (25.6% for women and 18.3% for men). The Humanities field showed the highest proportion (39.7%), while the Engineering field had the lowest (10.1%).

As for the level of temporary contract, 25.8% of graduates from the school year 2022/2023 were working under a temporary contract in Catalonia one year after graduating (29.4% for women and 20.3% for men). The Health field had the highest share (49.8%), and the Engineering field the lowest (12.1%).

With regard to the level of adequacy to degree’s qualification (proportion of employees classified under Social Security contribution groups 1 or 2: engineers or university graduates, senior managerial staff and technical engineers, experts and qualified assistants), the level of adequacy to degree’s qualification of graduates from the school year 2022/2023 working as employees in Catalonia one year after graduating was 42.5% (43.6% for women and 40.8% for men). The Health field had the highest value (70.3%) and the Humanities field the lowest (22.6%).