A bimonthly publication of AQU Catalunya

55

July 2011

Just a few days ago, the survey University and employment in Catalonia. 2011 Survey on the labour market outcomes of graduates in Catalonia (2006-2007 academic year) was presented to top level officials of the Catalan Administration and the universities.

The 2011 survey is the fourth in a series carried out by AQU Catalunya, in conjunction with the boards of trustees of the public universities in Catalonia and now together with the private universities, once every three years over the last ten years (2001, 2005, 2008 and 2011) on the population that graduated three years prior to the survey.

The aim of this latest survey was to provide objective and comparable data on the study programmes being taught at universities for academic coordinators and managers of university degree programmes, within the context of Catalonia. The four surveys up until now have so far produced more than 50,000 records, the result of which is one of the most reliable and extensive databases in Europe. The results are representative at the university level as a whole and at the programme level.

The fieldwork for the 2011 survey was carried out this year between January and March and all of the universities in Catalonia (both public and private) participated for the first time, together with the majority of the affiliated institutions. A total of 16,182 people were interviewed, or 56.5% of the total sample, and this was an increase of 66% compared to the first survey in 2001.

In what is a bad current economic climate, in which the role of the universities and their performance in relation to allocated funding has on occasions been questioned, the results of this survey have been warmly welcomed by the university authorities.

The reason why is very easy to explain and clearly demonstrated. As a result of ten years of studies, it can be said that, contrary to the idea that the universities are unemployment factories, 9 out of 10 graduates are in employment three years after completing their studies. Moreover, in spite of the fact that the effects of the crisis have implications for graduates as well, the survey also shows that the unemployment rate among graduates is half that of the working population in Catalonia (8% compared to 15%).

From these figures, the universities have good reason to be proud of the role that they play in Catalan society. The European Commission’s EUROSTAT report has shown that the employment rate increases with a population’s level of studies. For example, people with only secondary education level studies (ESO) and below have an employment rate of 56%, for those with an upper secondary education or vocational education and training at upper secondary level it is 64%, and for those with a higher education and advanced vocational education it is 76%. In Catalonia, the working population survey for the first quarter of 2011 gave a 74% employment rate, in contrast to the survey of graduate labour market outcomes in Catalonia, where the rate was 89%.

It should also be pointed out that, according to the OECD, the employment rate is one of the main indicators used to measure the performance of the educational system at the international level. The fact that the results of the graduate labour market outcomes survey, in terms of the employment rate, have been very positive and steady shows the added value that the universities offer to Catalan society as a whole.

The universities are not only guarantors of employment, however, as they also guarantee a quality level of employment. The fact that a person has university studies facilitates fast access to jobs that are better qualified (8 out of 10 graduates had a job 3 months after finishing their studies, 8 out of 10 required a degree to get their job, and 8 out of 10 had jobs of a graduate level), best paid (5 out of 10 graduates earn more than 2,000 euros a month and only 1 out of 10 earns less than 12,000 euros a month), and steadier (6 out of 10 have a fixed term contract).

These figures are clearly important and need to be disseminated in the higher education system in Catalonia and in society in general. The most important aspect of these figures however is that they are incorporated in the monitoring of recognised programmes at Catalan universities, as has been done this year. The data are for academic coordinators and managers of university degree programmes to analyse the trend and education-job match of graduates to the demands of society. As to it having a mere sociological or statistical goal, the survey came into being and continues to exist as a means of enhancing the quality of university degree programmes.