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Figures for Prospects.ac.uk

March 2010:

ABCE audited figures

Unique Browsers:

1,167,672

Page Impressions:

5,828,244

(Note: ABCE are now using the term Unique Browsers instead of Unique Users)

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What do graduates do - London (Spring 08)

The capital has a different labour market to the rest of the country, with many industries being primarily or solely based in the city. The population has increased by 600,000 in the last 20 years, and much of the economy is connected to the finance industry.

19.3% of graduates from 2005/6 who were known to be working, were employed in the capital six months after graduation. This equates to 28,220 graduates, and numbers increased sharply, from 26,360 in 2003/4 – a rise of 7.1%. It remains to be seen if this increase can be sustained with the ongoing issues in the finance industry in 2008.

London had the smallest proportion of graduates in England in both non-graduate and traditional graduate occupations (see Table 1 and SOC(HE)).

Table 1. Graduate employment categories for graduates working in London six months after graduating from 2003/4 to 2005/6
2003/42004/52005/6
Traditional graduate occupations10.5%10.6%10.3%
Modern graduate occupations11.9%12.7%12.4%
New graduate occupations16.5%18.3%19.0%
Niche graduate occupations25.0%25.0%26.3%
Non-graduate occupations36.1%33.3%32.0%

London’s employment character is demonstrated by the figures in Table 2, showing business and finance occupations as being the most common destinations for graduates starting work in the city. Key occupations in this area included accountancy, personnel and recruitment, financial analysis, business analysis, conference organization, actuarial work and management consultancy. Numbers in all of these occupations except business analysis rose over the time period in question, although management consultancy only rose marginally. Significant numbers of graduates going into advertising, marketing, sales and PR meant this job category increased in importance, with advertising employing 680 graduates in 2005/6 – the largest number for any individual job category in London. A strong rise in the number of graduates entering investment banking helped to increase the proportion entering management and senior roles over the three year period, although this rise may not be sustained in coming years.

Table 2. Types of work for UK-domiciled graduates working in London six months after graduating from 2003/4 to 2005/6
2003/42004/52005/6
Marketing, Sales and Advertising Professionals7.4%7.7%8.1%
Commercial, Industrial and Public Sector Managers10.1%10.2%10.4%
Scientific Research, Analysis & Development Professionals0.6%0.6%0.5%
Engineering Professionals1.4%1.6%1.9%
Health Professionals and Associate Professionals8.7%8.3%8.0%
Education Professionals4.7%4.5%4.3%
Business and Financial Professionals and Associate Professionals12.5%13.5%14.5%
Information Technology Professionals4.4%4.7%4.2%
Arts, Design, Culture and Sports Professionals8.1%9.3%9.2%
Legal Professionals0.8%0.8%0.9%
Social & Welfare Professionals2.2%2.2%2.1%
Other Professionals, Associate Professional and Technical Occupations5.0%5.2%5.3%
Numerical Clerks and Cashiers3.3%2.7%2.7%
Other Clerical and Secretarial Occupations14.1%13.0%11.9%
Retail, Catering, Waiting and Bar Staff7.7%7.4%7.0%
Other Occupations8.9%8.3%9.0%
Unknown Occupations0.2%0%0.1%
Total100%100%100%

Other roles enjoying healthy rises in the numbers of graduates entering them six months after graduation between 2003/4 and 2005/6 included childcare occupations, architectural technicians, graphic artists, junior doctors, hospital nurses, mechanical engineers, sales representatives, computer programmers and journalists.

Professions not mentioned, which saw a fall in recruitment in London between 2003/4 and 2005/6 included local government officers, retail managers, physiotherapists, primary teachers, hospital matrons, speech therapists, IT technicians, industrial designers and medical scientists.

The majority of graduates from 2005/6 in investment banking, financial analysis, editor roles, PR, management consultancy and stockbroking, amongst other occupations, were employed in London six months after graduation – recruitment in finance and the media is heavily concentrated in the capital.

The key graduate employment sector in London is in finance (Table 3). Accountancy, PR, financial advisors, management, graphic designers and legal advisers are all important jobs in this sector in London.

Table 3. Employment sectors for UK-domiciled graduates working in London six months after graduating in 2005/6
Employment sectorPercentage of graduates
Finance, law, consulting and related activities21.0%
Health and social work13.1%
Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles10.4%
Recreational, cultural and sporting activities9.5%
Education8.0%

43.4% of graduates from 2005/6, working in London six months after graduating, were employed in an SME. Graduates working in London were more likely than average to be self-employed (4.9%) and much more likely (25.3%) to have found their job through personal connections. Personal connections were especially important for jobs in the media, particularly in media research or journalism, where nearly half of all jobs were obtained thanks to contacts. Recruitment agencies were also used more often than the average by graduates to find jobs, particularly in IT, finance, sales and marketing.

Content last updated: May 08