Thirty per cent of graduates chose degree programmes in Economics and Business for the career prospects
AQU Catalunya today published the report Employability and university education in the field of Economics and Business, as part of the webinar organised by the Agency in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Banking Foundation.
AQU Catalunya has today published the report Employability and university training in the field of Economics and Business, as part of the webinar organised by the Agency in collaboration with the “la Caixa” Banking Foundation.
The document offers an across-the-board view of bachelor's degrees in the field of Economics and Business, including in sub-fields such as Business Administration and Management, Marketing and Market Research and International Business Management. The report compiles all the data from the Satisfaction, Employment Outcomes and Employers' Opinion surveys that the Agency regularly carries out of students and the companies and organisations that hire graduates.
Among the most relevant data collected by AQU Catalunya in relation to these degree programmes is regarding these bachelor's degrees' popularity, as demand for places far exceeds supply. So much so that bachelor's degrees in the field of Business Administration are by far the most popular bachelor's degrees in the Catalan university system (SUC). One in ten newly enrolled students chooses this field of study.
The analysis of students' satisfaction with the degree programmes in Economics and in Business Administration usually provides similar data, although satisfaction tends to be better in the Business Administration sub-field than in the Economics sub-field. For example, in relation to external work placements, Economics graduates' assessment is particularly noteworthy, as they only give a 5.5 to the question of whether they have been able to apply the knowledge obtained during their studies. This score (5.5) is 1.5 points lower than the overall score for the whole SUC. Over 30% of graduates in the field of Economics and Business say they chose the degree for the good employment opportunities. In fact, it is the degree programme most chosen for this reason out of all those analysed in the employer study carried out by AQU Catalunya.
The employment rate of graduates in Economics (89.7%) and Business Administration (94.1%) is very high in both cases, although not so much in regard to degree-specific functions that graduates carry out once they are in the workplace. That said, it is similar to the rest of the SUC overall, at about 55%. However, these graduates do tend to have higher salaries and less temporary employment than SUC graduates as a whole.
Among the data obtained from the AQU Catalunya studies on this employer group, we can highlight the fact that 50% of employers had difficulty hiring recent graduates, mainly due to a lack of candidates with the required skills. Proficiency in English, customer service, knowledge of programming and data analytics tools and, in some cases, written communication are the skills that are most lacking from the CVs of recent graduates.
In relation to recent graduates hired by the employers surveyed, the skills with the most room for improvement are the ability to set objectives and priorities (time management), to focus actions and decisions on project goals (results-oriented) and to ascertain clients' needs and wishes (customer-focused). With the exception of data processing and presentation skills, these coincide with those that have been most worked on during the work placement period in those organisations that have taken on students. Employers also point to the need to work on the ability to withstand stress. However, in general employers of Economics and Business graduates are satisfied with their skills: they give a rating of very good and no changes are observed in relation to the previous edition.
For more information on the results of the Employers in the Field of Economics and Business project, you can read the full report Employability and university training in the field of Economics and Business.
Also check out the infographic and rest of the documentation from the webinar and watch the video recording.