AQU Catalunya's 2020 Graduate Labour Market Outcomes Survey shows an improvement in employment situation and employment conditions for the UOC's graduates

The results of the 2020 Graduate Labour Market Outcomes Survey performed by the Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency (AQU Catalunya) shows an improvement in the employment situation and employment conditions of UOC graduates with bachelor's degrees, master's degrees and doctoral degrees at the start of this year. The data also show that skill acquisition has improved, with high general ratings for training and satisfaction at the UOC. However, the survey's data date from before the COVID-19 pandemic. For the moment, the impact that the pandemic has had on graduate employment is unknown. However, the data obtained in the survey will be compared with official data recorded by IDESCAT (Statistical Institute of Catalonia) with the goal of tracking the evolution of post-COVID-19 employment data.

Started 15 years ago, the survey is repeated every three years among graduates from all the Catalan universities. Sent to people who graduated three years earlier, it asks three questions: whether they work, what quality their job has and what they would do to improve the training they received. According to AQU Catalunya's director, Martí Casadesús, the survey should be viewed "not just as guidance for students or graduates but also as a system for bringing about improvements". 

Graduate profiles

In the specific case of the UOC, the analysis of the 2020 survey shows that the gender distribution in the University's programmes is now balanced, with 50% for each sex. The average age of the UOC's students is the highest of the Catalan universities. While it is 28 in the rest of the Catalan university system, it is about 40 at the UOC. The reason for this is that many of the people enrolled at the UOC are studying for second degrees or looking for a second opportunity. The UOC's sociodemographic and educational profile also shows differences from the rest of the system: 90% combine studying with work, while at the other universities, this percentage drops to 60%. 

The UOC is improving the equity of the Catalan university system

Another noteworthy result is the index that presents the university as a tool for social advancement when looking at the percentage of students whose parents only have primary school education (up to the age of 14 in Spain). In the traditional university system, this percentage has dropped steadily from 40 to 20% because it is becoming increasingly difficult for offspring to be more highly educated than their parents, Casadesús pointed out. However, this percentage is holding at the UOC and this "is helping enormously to enhance the equity of the Catalan university system in general, as it is more than double the other universities and it is very good news," said AQU Catalunya's director. 

The data confirm that the UOC is able to attract profiles that are less common in the university system, which is "an asset for democratizing higher education and a milestone in the university's social dimension," Casadesús added.

Employment of the UOC's graduates 

As regards employment, the survey shows that 9 out of 10 graduates are working. Between 2007 and 2020, there has been virtually no increase in employment, and it has even fallen slightly in Humanities and Health. The employment values have yet to return to the levels prior to the recession. By fields of study, the data are as follows: Humanities (85.7%), Social Sciences (93.1%), Health Sciences (85.1%), Engineering (97.6%). The total would stand at 98%. Casadesús believed that the results obtained for Humanities "dispel the myth that Humanities graduates can't find work. Although it is harder to find work, the employment rate is still very high". Most of the graduates (60%) work in the private sector.

The jobs' skill level

The survey also shows that 9 out of 10 graduates have highly skilled jobs: 50% work in branches related with public services. The results show that 6 out of 10 have some kind of work-related responsibility (87.2% work in high-skilled jobs) and 12% have low-skilled jobs for which, in theory, they are overqualified. In addition, 2 out of 10 hold senior management positions, 4 out of 10 hold middle management positions, and 4 out of 10 have no supervisory responsibilities. To summarize, almost 9 out of 10 graduates work in jobs that demand high skill levels. 

Impact of the qualification on employment conditions

In general, the survey shows that the qualification has a very positive impact on employment conditions. When specifically asked about the reasons for studying, the respondents gave the following scores on a scale from 0 to 10: improve professionally (7.3), have opportunities to access the labour market (6.7), job stability (6.3), or change responsibilities (6.3).

In addition, the quality of the employment is good: 8 out of 10 people perform graduate-level tasks; 7 of these perform tasks that are specifically related with their degree (obtained at the UOC or previous degrees obtained at other universities); the Engineering degrees are where the highest percentage of people are performing tasks specifically related with their degree (77%). The survey also shows that 1 out of 4 people with a UOC degree have needed the specific degree obtained at the university to get the job. 

The survey's data also show an increase in temporary contracts among the UOC's graduates. The percentage of permanent contracts (70%) has fallen 10 points since 2008, although this is still very high. A total of 16% have a temporary contract. Permanent contracts are more common among Engineering graduates (82%), and Health Sciences graduates have the highest proportion of self-employed professionals (22%) and temporary contracts (20%).

When the graduates were asked about their working hours, full-time employment shows a small drop (two points less, from 92% to 90%). Almost all the Engineering graduates work full-time, but in the case of Health Sciences graduates, less than 8 out of 10 work full-time. On the subject of salary, 67% earn over 2,000 euros a month. The level of income remains stable compared with the previous survey, performed three years ago. However, the percentage of UOC graduates earning 2,000 euros a month has fallen significantly since 2008 (10 points less). 25% earn between 1,000 and 2,000 euros and 7% earn less than 1,000 euros.

The occupational quality index

The AQU's survey calculates the so-called occupational quality index by adding a number of factors (such as the type of contract or the remuneration). The results in 2020 for this index have been as follows: Engineering (73.9%), Social Sciences (71.9%), Humanities (69.6%) and Health Sciences (67.1%). The index remains stable but the scatter in the score by educational fields has reduced compared with 2017. The highest index is obtained for Engineering.

The survey finds that 8 out of 9 graduates are satisfied with their work. General satisfaction with their job has a score of 7.8; the high level of satisfaction with the job's content stands out in particular (8.3). The lowest level of satisfaction is with the potential for promotion (6.8), particularly among graduates who perform university-level tasks. 

Assessment of the training received

In this part of the survey, most of the skills are scored above 6. The following aspects have scored above 7: creativity, the level of training in written expression, ICTs and theoretical skills. Languages, leadership and oral expression obtain the lowest scores (between 5 and 6); the most useful skills are those that are rated highest, with the addition of computer knowledge.

Where do the degree programmes fall short?

The survey's results show that leadership and problem-solving skills have the most room for improvement. Theoretical skills are rated positively overall. The education shortfall, in general, is less for traditional universities (where 3 skills score above 1). The score for training in the skills considered to be most useful has increased slightly. Theoretical skills, where there is a higher education surplus, is the only skill where the score given to the university training received has stabilized.

Another aspect analysed by the survey is whether the graduates would take the programme again. Only 2 out of 10 would not take it again, while 8 out of 10 would. The percentage has dropped compared with 2017 in Humanities and, to a much lesser degree, in Engineering. The field with the highest percentage of students willing to take the programme again is Health Sciences, which has increased since the previous survey. In any case, willingness to take the programme again is higher for the UOC than for the traditional universities (73%). Thus, 9 out of 10 would come back to the UOC to study. The levels of satisfaction with the university are very similar to 2017, with the exception of Humanities, where satisfaction has increased 7 points. However, the trend is reversed in the rest of the Catalan university system.

As regards further studies, 7 out of 10 graduates continue studying. However, this proportion has been falling since 2008. A total of 35% go on to follow postgraduate studies (master's degree or doctoral degree), of which 30% continue their studies at the same university (particularly when taking another bachelor's degree). In the case of the traditional universities, 27% of the students continue studying. Health Sciences is the field with the highest percentage of graduates who continue on to postgraduate studies. 

The UOC's master's degree graduates

The survey shows that students who graduate with a master's degree at the UOC have slightly higher employment outcome indicators than the master's degree graduates from the traditional universities, except in the proportion of people who work in the private sector, which has receded 15 points. Thus, 3 out of 4 people with a UOC master's degree have jobs where they perform specific degree-related tasks, which is 12 points above the master's degree graduates from traditional universities. The level of satisfaction with the master's degree taken at the UOC is 7 points higher than graduates from the traditional universities.

All of these data can be found, with breakdown by university and programme, at http://estudis.aqu.cat.