This chapter describes the employment and education destinations of graduates, and how these destinations vary across the different fields of study and levels of qualification. Two different styles of longitudinal study are presented. Graduate outcomes are analysed at one year after graduation for each of the separate graduation years in a longitudinal cohort study. Graduate outcomes are also described at one, three, five and ten years after graduation in a longitudinal panel study. 

There are five classifications that describe graduate activities within each calendar year. 

• 'Substantial Employment only' refers to graduates who meet minimum criteria for employment or self-employment and have no record of enrolment in higher education within the same year.
• 'Substantial Employment and Education' corresponds to graduates that meet the criteria for substantial employment or self-employment and are enrolled in higher education at some point within the same calendar year. 
• 'Education only' refers to graduates that are enrolled in higher education but are not classified as being in substantial employment. 
• 'Neither Employment nor Education' comprises graduates who are neither enrolled in higher education nor are involved in substantial employment within the year but have some record in the administrative data for that year. These graduates may have some record of (non-substantial) employment or may have claimed some benefit over the year.
• The remaining individuals are categorised as 'Not Captured', meaning that they could not be found in any of the administrative datasets for the year in question. Most of this group are assumed to have emigrated, but there is no definitive indicator of emigration available in the administrative data sources.

Decrease in 2019 graduates in substantial employment in the first year after graduation

Approximately 80% of 2019 graduates were in 'substantial employment' in the first year after graduation compared with 83% of 2018 graduates. The 2019 graduation cohort entered the labour market in 2020, at a time when restrictions were in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the proportion of 2019 graduates who were in 'substantial employment' still exceeds the 2010 cohort, where 66% of graduates entered 'substantial employment' the following year.

Around 29% of those graduating in 2019 had re-enrolled in higher education the following year. This represents an increase from the class of 2018, where around 26% of graduates re-enrolled in education. However, the proportion of 2019 graduates who re-enrolled in education is still less than the 2010 cohort where roughly 33% returned to higher education.

The proportion of graduates that were in 'neither employment nor education' increased slightly from 6% of graduates in 2018 to 7% of graduates in 2019. However, this has fallen from 12% of 2010 graduates. The proportion of graduates that were 'not captured' fell by almost half over the period examined, from 11% of 2010 graduates to 6% of 2019 graduates. 

Decrease in graduates re-enrolling in education in years after graduation

Outcomes for 2010 graduates after one, three, five and ten years are shown in Figure 2.2. This graduation year is examined in some detail throughout this report as it is the most recent graduation year for which outcomes data after ten years is available. Other combinations of graduation year and years since graduation are available within the PxStat tables which accompany this publication.

Almost 33% of graduates from 2010 had re-enrolled in education in the first year after graduation, falling to 10% at five years after graduation and 7% after ten years. In the first year after graduation, 66% of graduates were in 'substantial employment', and this increased slightly to 68% at five years after graduation and 71% after ten years.

Almost 11% of 2010 graduates were 'not captured' in the first year after graduation. Five years after graduation, this proportion had more than doubled to 23% and this remained the same after ten years. At the same time, the proportion of graduates in 'neither employment nor education' fell from 12% in the first year after graduation to just 5% after ten years.

Education courses had highest proportion in substantial employment

Among 2015 graduates, the 'Education' field had the highest proportion of graduates in employment five years after graduation, with 84% of graduates in 'substantial employment'. This was followed by 'Health & Welfare', 'Business, Administration & Law', and 'Information & Communication Technologies', each of which had approximately three-quarters of graduates in 'substantial employment'.

Around two-thirds (68%) of graduates from 'Arts & Humanities' were substantially employed five years after graduation, the lowest of any field.

The field with the largest proportion in education was 'Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Statistics', with nearly one in every five of graduates re-enrolled after five years. Graduates from 'Business, Administration & Law' and 'Information & Communication Technologies' were the least likely to be in education, with around 6% re-enrolled after five years. 

Over two-thirds of graduates at levels 6 and 7 return to education in first year after graduation

Over two-thirds of level 6 and 7 graduates in 2019 had re-enrolled in education the first year after graduation (72% and 68% respectively). This proportion is substantially lower for graduates from level 8 courses, with just 26% in higher education the following year. This pattern may be explained by courses that offer students an add-on year that leads to an additional award, often at a higher NFQ level. This option is common for NFQ level 6 and 7 courses. 

In the first year after graduation, 80% of level 8 graduates were 'in substantial employment', as were 83% of graduates from level 9 courses. Only 76% of level 10 graduates were in employment in the first year after graduation but they had the highest proportion of graduates who were 'not captured', at 16%. This may be related to several factors, such as the high proportion of non-Irish graduates in this group, the higher average age of this group, and the availability of relevant employment in other countries. 

Teacher training institutions have highest proportion in substantial employment

Outcomes for 2015 graduates after five years are shown in Figure 2.5 for each higher education institution. Other combinations of graduation year and years since graduation are available within the PxStat tables which accompany this publication.

The institutions with the highest proportion of 2015 graduates in employment after five years were St Patrick's College, IT Tallaght, Athlone IT and Mary Immaculate College where over 80% of graduates were in 'substantial employment'. All graduates from the Royal College of Surgeons and St Angela's College of Home Economics were in 'substantial employment' when graduates who were 'not captured' were excluded, though the number of graduates from these institutions are small.

Graduates in 2019 faced a labour market in 2020 that was characterised by the introduction of significant restrictions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This section examines the proportion of 2019 graduates that were in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) at any point in the 2020 calendar year and how this varies across gender, field of study and level of qualification.

Female graduates more likely to receive the PUP

At some point during the 2020 calendar year, 27% of 2019 graduates were in receipt of the PUP. Female graduates were more likely to receive the PUP compared to male graduates, with 29% of women in receipt of the payment compared to 26% of men.

Services courses had the highest proportion of graduates in receipt of the PUP

Figure 2.7 shows the breakdown by field of study for the share of 2019 graduates in receipt of the PUP for a period in 2020. The 'Services' field had the highest proportion of graduates who received the PUP, at 56%. This was followed by graduates from 'Arts & Humanities', with 43% of graduates in receipt of the PUP.

Graduates from 'Information & Communication Technologies' were the least likely to receive the PUP with only 14% of graduates receiving it for at least one week in 2020.

PUP recipients by NFQ level

The proportion of 2019 graduates in receipt of the PUP in 2020 fell with increasing NFQ level. Over half (53%) of 2019 graduates with NFQ level 6 awards (advanced or higher certificates) received the PUP for a period in 2020. Next was NFQ level 7 award holders (ordinary bachelor's degrees), where 40% received the PUP. This was followed by NFQ level 8 graduates (honours bachelor's degrees) where the proportion was 28%.

These compare to 16% of graduates with NFQ level 9 qualifications (master's degrees and postgraduate diplomas) and just 5% of graduates with NFQ level 10 (doctoral degrees) received the PUP for at least one week in 2020.

Go to next Chapter: Where Do Graduates Work?