With graduate unemployment rising faster and faster, it’s not surprising that many students now want to ensure they’re studying a degree which will actually get them a job. Fortunately for you, the Higher Education Graduate Statistics Agency (HESA) has compiled a list of the subjects with the worst employment rates and we’ve summarised them for you, so you can feel more informed when choosing what you want to study.
Here were the results:*
- Communications (59%)
With well over half of graduates in full-time employment, and a further 16% in a part-time job, communications still came out pretty well. However, a further 12% of graduates were going onto further study, suggesting it may be necessary to continue it to a higher level or combine it with another subject in order to progress in their career. - Agriculture (59%)
Another decently-performing subject, with over 70% of students being in a full-time or part-time job. - Social studies (59%)
On the whole, humanities and arts-based subjects had slightly lower employment rates and this proved true for social studies. Around 20% of individuals were going on to further study of some kind, suggesting they wanted to become even more knowledgeable or broaden their skill sets for the future. - Maths (58%)
Maths came out with a surprisingly low score, with 58% of students bagging a full-time job, and only a further 4% securing part-time employment. However, the statistics for further study were very telling, with a whopping 24% remaining in education. This suggests that most maths-based jobs require additional degrees, such as a Master’s or PhD. - Law (56%)
Despite being a highly competitive and arguably very vocational degree, the employment rates for law were relatively low. This may partly be due to the fact that students require additional qualifications in order to practice (reinforced by the fact 22% were going into further study), as well as the fact that it is very difficult to get a traineeship in a law firm. - Physical sciences (55%)
Physical sciences also scored poorly, but had an extremely high percentage of students staying on for further study (27%), suggesting that, like maths, a lot of jobs in this field require candidates to have Master’s or PhDs. - Languages (49%)
Languages were the first subject where less than half the graduates had secured full-time employment. However, 7% of languages students were noted as having a different preoccupation, including travelling, so it might be that a lot of these graduates decided to take a gap year and put their skills into practice before settling down in a job. - Biology (48%)
Biology was the lowest of the sciences, with just 48% of students being in a full-time job and 11% in part-time employment. However, just like maths and physical sciences, 25% of students were progressing to further study. - History and philosophy (47%)
Two of the most popular humanities subjects proved themselves to have relatively poor employment rates. However, with over 20% of students staying in education, and a further 9% stating another reason, including travel, it could just be that these graduates are more curious to explore and learn more about the world. - Creative arts (47%)
Creative arts found themselves at the bottom of the pile with just 47% of students in full-time employment. However, unlike a lot of other subjects, a high percentage of graduates had some kind of part-time job (25%). This suggests that graduates from this sector are still highly employable, but may just need to be more flexible with how they work.
* The percentage is the number of students in full-time jobs.
What does this mean for you?
Before you start panicking that your degree is pointless and you’re wasting your time (trust me we’ve all been there), remember that these statistics are not the end of the world. Any degree you choose will provide you with transferable skills that are great to put on a CV and which will really resonate with future employers.
In addition, even if you are studying a degree with relatively low employment rates, there are still certain things you can do during your studies to boost your chances. For example, attending careers fairs to network with potential employers, doing a work placement, joining sports clubs and societies, or volunteering.
It’s still really important to choose a degree you’re going to enjoy, rather than picking one simply because you think you’re more likely to get a job at the end of it. As long as you work hard and make the most of the opportunities you have at uni, you should hopefully be able to get a job once you graduate, regardless of what degree you study.
If you’re in the middle of your degree and are looking for some quiet accommodation to get your head down and study so you can land your dream job, we have plenty of great places available.
