Graduates have no option but to work part-time

More than one-fifth of recent graduates who have moved into employment are working part-time, according to official figures.

Of the 224,000 graduates surveyed by the Higher Education Statistics Agency, only about four in five (63%) — or over 158,000 of graduates in 2010-11 — reported that they were in employment six months after they had graduated.

Of those who had found some form of employment, the majority (69%) — or over 109,000 — were working full-time. However, more students have had no choice but to take on part-time roles — up from 20.8% last year to 22% — totalling over 35,000 graduates.

About one in six (16%) were continuing with their studies, a further one in 12 (8%) were both working and studying. Graduate unemployment has decreased slightly on the previous year but about one in 11 (9%) were unemployed.

The proportion of graduates describing themselves as self-employed rose to 5% in 2010-11, up from 4.4% the year before.

Those in voluntary or unpaid work rose slightly to 4% — another sign of the tough jobs market.

The greatest proportion of graduates (45%) secured managerial or professional jobs. But those in part-time work were more likely to be in customer services or sales roles.