Share2020 employment outcome reports now available in Spanish and English
Published translations of bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree reports to facilitate the dissemination of results
The employment outcomes survey coordinated since 2001 by AQU Catalunya is the result of the interest of the Catalan higher education system to obtain data and references on the quality of graduates' access to the labour market. Respondents were asked about employment status and quality and about the satisfaction and usefulness of the training students received. This survey is one of the most reliable, complete and representative in the international arena.
In 2020, more than 26,000 graduates were surveyed in the 7th edition of the study, from which a report was prepared for each educational level.
| University students | Population | Sample | Response | Sampling error |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degrees | 32.375 | 14.849 | 45,9% | 0,6% |
| Master's degrees | 25.873 | 9.447 | 36,5% | 0,8% |
| PhDs | 4.198 | 1.945 | 46,3% | 1,7% |
| Total | 62.446 | 26.241 | 42,0% | 0,5% |
The results show that:
- The employment rate has increased and the quality of employment has improved compared to the 2017 edition of the survey.
- There has been an increase in the number of people performing university functions compared to the 2017 survey and, although more and more companies are hiring people with a doctoral degree (52%), only a third are taking on doctoral level-specific functions.
- In the case of satisfaction with the training received, as a whole the degree courses obtained high marks, and training at all levels has seen continuous improvement. Universities' adaptation to the Bologna Plan is therefore yielding results.
- Despite the improvement in the teaching-learning process, there are aspects with room for improvement. For example, of the 29% of graduates who said they would not do their master's degree again, half argue that they are not convinced by the design or quality of the degree course.
- For more than half of master's degree graduates, the master's degree has meant an improvement in employment compared to previous work (either due to: pay increase, 73%; improvement in professional category, 69%; or job change, 64%).
Although the data show that in a pre-COVID context the employment of university graduates had recovered from the previous economic crisis at all levels, two important conclusions remain unchanged, despite the context:
- That university training increases the chances of finding a job and of this being quality employment (type of contract, pay, working hours, etc.)
- That since the implementation of the Bologna Plan, universities have improved the way graduates train
For more information: Employment outcomes survey
La inserción laboral de los graduados y graduadas de las universidades catalanas (2020)
Access to the labour market for graduates of Catalan universities
La inserción laboral de los titulados y tituladas de máster de las universidades catalanas
Access to the labour market for graduates of Master's degrees from Catalan universities 2020
La inserción laboral de los doctores y doctoras de las universidades catalanas