This chapter examines the median weekly earnings of ELC graduates' main employment in the years after graduation. Only graduates who were in 'substantial PAYE employment' were included in this analysis. The 'main employer' for each individual is the employer which contributes the single largest pay to that individual over the course of the year. Earnings are only calculated for those who had earned income through the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system.
Only income through the PAYE system is included in this analysis - income from self-employment activities registered through the self-assessment system is excluded here. Median values for earnings are presented and all values are rounded to the nearest €5. All earnings relate to gross pay and are adjusted for inflation using the 'Consumer Price Index' (base = December 2016).
Median weekly earnings among all graduates from ELC courses in their first year after graduation grew from €285 in 2013 to €465 in 2022, an increase of €180 (or 63%) over the ten-year period.
The 2022 graduates with the highest median for weekly earnings one year after graduation were those working in Non-ELC Health & Education at €580, followed by those working in the ELC Sector at €465. The lowest median value for weekly earnings in 2022 was €395 for those working in Other Employment Sectors.
The median earnings for the 2021 graduates, two years after graduation, were €420 per week. Around one in five of graduates earned €300 per week or less, with a peak in the distribution visible at €251-300 (see blue bars in Figure 4.2). There is a second peak in the distribution between €501 and €550 per week, covering 14% of all substantially employed graduates .
The proportion of graduates who had a record of receiving a jobseekers allowance or jobseekers benefit two years after graduation is distinctly higher among lower earners, varying between 27% and 37% for most earnings intervals below €400 per week, whereas for the intervals in excess of €400 per week this proportion varied between 10% and 32%.
Figure 4.3 shows the Median Weekly Earnings of 2021 graduates by their Employment Sector one year after graduation and their Employment Status two years after graduation. Of those who were substantially employed in the ELC Sector one year after graduation, those who stayed with the same employer in the next year were earning €430 per week in 2022, while those who moved to a different employer within the ELC Sectors were earning €415 per week in 2022. Of those who were substantially employed in the Non-ELC Sector Health and Education one year after graduation, those who stayed with the same employer in the following year were earning €535 per week in 2022, the highest among all Employment Statuses.
Median weekly earnings for 2020 ELC graduates one year after graduation were €390, rising to €495 after three years, an increase of 27%.
The highest median weekly earnings one year after graduation were €440 for those working in the Non-ELC Sector, while the lowest was in the Other Employment Sectors at €350. Three years after graduation, a similar pattern emerges, with the highest median weekly earnings of €650 in Non-ELC Health & Education while the lowest was €460 in the Other Employment Sectors.
Earnings in the first year after graduation increased by approximately 50% for all NFQ levels between 2013 and 2022. Graduates in 2022 with NFQ Level 5 had the lowest median earnings of €380 per week followed by NFQ Level 6 holders at €450 per week. Graduates with NFQ levels 7 and 8 had the highest median weekly earnings of €510 and €540, respectively.
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