The results of the UL Graduate Outcomes Survey of 2021 reflects the voices of 4,637 recently-graduated respondents. With a response rate of 69%, the results of this survey reveal that outcomes for UL graduates are excellent, with the data showing that 83% of the class of 2021 have gone directly into employment (an increase of 8% on 2020). Of this 83%, 73% of UL graduates are working in Ireland and 10% are working globally.
This particular student cohort graduated into a labour market that was still grappling with the disruption of the pandemic, often without the support of traditional in-person on-boarding, induction and graduate development programmes. It is to their immense credit th¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ graduates have shown themselves to be resilient and adaptable in making the challenging transition from their studies to their early careers – particularly in the face of such economic and social disruption in 2021. For many of our undergraduates, the positional advantage of Cooperative Education cuts through against such a difficult backdrop.
Key points of note:
- 14% of the class of 2021 are engaged in further study or training.
- 2% of graduates are seeking employment, with 2% unavailable for employment (for various reasons including health, family, gap year).
- The results suggest that higher educational attainment is positively linked to higher employment rates, with 93% of UL PhD/Research graduates and 91% of Taught Masters graduates employed.
- The sectoral spread of the Class of 2021 employment is broadly consistent with that of previous years viz., Human Health and Social Work (19%), followed by the Financial, Insurance and Real Estate sector (15%), Professional, Scientific and Technical (14%) and Industry (13%) and Education (12%).
- The average graduate salary was €37,422, with 69% of graduates earning more than €30,000.
- In line with recent trends, the Western Corridor (West, Mid-West and South West) continues to be the preferred destination for UL graduates, accounting for 60% of graduate employment. This compares with 36% in the East. Globally, the most popular destinations were the UK (31%), the EU (26%), and North America (25%).
Work has now commenced on the analysis of the 2022 survey data.
For more information - please click on this link /cecd/students/career-services/graduate-outcomes-survey-gos