Social science : Types of work

Here is a breakdown of the activites that graduates are doing for each of the social science subjects covered in What Do Graduates Do?

Economics

66.1% of economics graduates who finished their study in 2010 were either in employment or working and studying six months later. Amongst these graduates, there was a strong representation in numerical and financial occupations, with 46.1% working as business and financial professionals or associate professionals – up from 39.3% for 2009 economics graduates; perhaps reflecting a more buoyant labour market in this sector. This compares with 7.5% for all first degree graduates entering these roles. An above average percentage of economics graduates were also found to be working as commercial, industrial or public sector managers (11.2% compared with 8.8% for all first degree graduates).

Geography

Geographers demonstrated an above average participation (21.2%) in further study/training (as a sole activity), perhaps reflecting a desire to gain more specialist skills. Geography graduates who entered employment were relatively highly represented in the business and financial professions and associate professions (14.0%). They were also well-represented in commercial, industrial and public sector managers category (11.5%), which includes positions in general graduate schemes, and in the marketing, sales and advertising professionals category (9.7%).

Law

A third of law graduates (33.9%) from 2010 chose further study/training as a sole activity compared with the overall graduate average of 13.5%, with many opting for vocational study in law, ie the Diploma in Law/Legal Practice and Bar Vocational Courses. In addition, 10.7% were engaged in work and study. Of those in employment in the UK, 14.4% entered legal professions including legal and paralegal occupations, 9.4% were in the commercial, industrial and public sector managers category with the same percentage (9.4%) working in the business and financial professionals or associate professionals category.

Politics

60.4% of politics graduates were in employment or were working and studying six months after graduation. Of these graduates, 15.9% went into commercial, industrial and public sector management positions. A further 13.5% entered business and financial professions or associate professions. Over a fifth (21.1%) of politics graduates chose further study/training as a sole activity (compared with the overall graduate average of 13.5%).

Psychology

Psychology graduates had a strong representation in the other occupations category, with just under a quarter (24.8%) of graduates who were employed in the UK or working and studying entering these types of jobs. Examples of jobs in this category are nursing auxiliaries and assistants and educational assistants. This perhaps reflects the need for many psychology graduates to gain relevant experience prior to embarking on postgraduate psychology study. A further 14.5% of psychology graduates entered social and welfare related work, again, suggesting a desire to gain experience in this field prior to embarking on further training. In addition, 7.0% were employed as commercial, industrial or public sector managers. Interestingly, the British Psychological Society (BPS) estimates that only 15-20% of psychology graduates actually end up working as professional psychologists.

Sociology

As with psychology graduates, sociology graduates have a wide variety of occupational destinations. A relatively high proportion (20.9%) entered the other occupations category, which includes health care and educational assistants. A further 12.6% fell into social and welfare related work, which includes social care and community roles and, in particular, probation officers. In addition, 9.4% of graduates working in the UK were found to be in the commercial, industrial and public sector managers category.

Employment in graduate occupations

The job classifications developed by Peter Elias and Kate Purcell in the Seven Years On report identify niche graduate occupations as a growing trend. This expanding area includes many occupations that do not require graduate level qualifications, but contains within it specialist niches that do require degrees as an entry requirement. For 2010 graduates, over a fifth (23.0%) of those in employment in the UK went into these types of work. Social science graduates are well represented within this category, with almost a third of economics (32.4%) graduates, and 29.9% of law graduates entering niche graduate occupations. Almost a quarter (23.4%) of politics graduates and (22.9%) of geography graduates entered these occupations, although sociology and psychology graduates had lower numbers entering niche graduate occupations 19.3% and 16.2% respectively. For economics graduates, these include jobs in the finance industry and in particular, financial analysis; for law graduates, examples include legal executives and paralegal jobs, and for politics graduates, specialist management and finance jobs as well as personnel and recruitment consultants.

It should be noted that a significant number of graduates from some of these subjects were found in what could be considered sub-graduate employment such as clerical and secretarial or retail and bar staff occupations. Many graduates, especially those from non-vocational subjects, take transitional or stop-gap jobs before they find a job that more clearly utilises their graduate skills. The Class Of '99 study into graduates’ careers three years and seven years after graduation has found that many of these graduates will gradually move into ‘graduate-level’ occupations as they gain experience in the job market.

Salaries

According to the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, the average salary for 2010 graduates who were in full-time employment in the UK six months following graduation was £19,794. Economics graduates commanded a well-above average salary, at £24,215 – the highest of the six social science subjects covered here. This is followed by politics (£19,317), human and social geography (£18,555), sociology (£17,001), psychology (£16,091), whilst law graduates typically earned between £16,000 and £19,000.