University of Helsinki Graduates Report Unprecedented Satisfaction with Degrees and Low Unemployment Rates
The results of the latest University of Helsinki career monitoring survey are very promising: most respondents are satisfied with the education and training they have received in terms of their careers. The proportion of satisfied students has risen by almost two percentage points since the previous survey and is now at its highest level in the history of the survey.
The graduates most satisfied with their degrees are from the faculties of medicine, law, veterinary medicine, political science, and pharmacy.
The survey, conducted at the end of 2023, was targeted at 2018 graduates of the University of Helsinki with a master’s degree, a Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy) degree or an early childhood education teacher degree, as well as doctorates who graduated in 2020.
Employment situation of both graduate groups is very good
94 % of respondents graduated in 2018 were employed five years after graduation. Unemployment stood at 1.5 % and outside of the workforce at just under 5 %. The latter group includes, for example, full-time students.
Unemployment and long-term unemployment were down on the previous year’s results. At the same time, the share of permanent full-time jobs was slightly increased compared to temporary full-time and part-time jobs.
87 % of the 2018 graduates were able to use the skills they had developed at university in their work and 83 % of respondents felt that their job was a good match for their level of university education.
34 % of respondents to the career monitoring survey worked in companies and 25 % were employed by municipalities and welfare regions. Government, universities and the third sector were also important employers. One fifth of respondents have worked as self-employed or as a freelancer since graduation.
96 % of 2020 doctoral graduates were employed, 1 % unemployed and 3 % in the inactive population. The proportion of employed in the labour force was high – 98 %.
The number of people experiencing unemployment after graduation had fallen. 78 % have not been unemployed at all since graduation.
90 % of doctoral graduates felt that they were able to use the skills they had developed at university in their work and 90 % were on a career path that met their goals.
88 % were satisfied with their doctoral degree in terms of career prospects. 83 % of respondents felt that their job was a good match for their academic qualifications.
The university sector was the most important employer for respondents, followed by private companies and the local government. There are large differences between faculties.
General skills important in working life
The most important factor influencing employment was the ability to communicate their skills, as cited by 2018 graduates. Other important factors included work experience, degree subject mix, work placements related to their studies, as well as contacts and networks. However, the importance of these factors in the assessment varied widely between faculties.
Respondents rated generic skills according to their importance in their current job and how they were developed through university studies. From the career survey, analytical, systematic thinking skills, self-direction/self-initiative, the ability to learn and absorb new knowledge, problem-solving skills, knowledge acquisition skills and collaboration skills topped the list.
– Typically, all of these are considered important in the workplace, but there is some variation in how well the studies developed them or how they are identified,” says Miia Hankonen, Planning Officer at the University of Helsinki’s Strategic Services for Teaching.
As in previous career tracking surveys, doctoral respondents felt that having a master’s degree and being able to describe their own skills were key factors in finding employment. Doctoral degrees, work experience and networks were also important for them.
Learning continues in working life
Alumni were also asked what skills they would like to develop in the next five years. Around 600 alumni said they wanted to develop leadership and interpersonal skills, project management, language and communication skills, presentation skills and general skills such as critical and systematic thinking. They also want to develop stress tolerance, self-regulation and time management, networking and other collaboration skills, artificial intelligence and analytical skills. The deepening of sectoral knowledge and related skills were also considered important.
The career monitoring survey will help to develop the university’s teaching to better meet the needs of working life. The results of the survey will be considered in the university’s financial allocation model. The number of respondents and the quality of the responses will influence the funding. The next career monitoring survey will start on 1 October 2024 and will collect responses from masters graduates in 2019 and doctoral graduates in 2021. The survey will be sent separately to each prospective respondent.