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Field of study and the subjective labour market outcomes of UK graduates: examining meaningful work, career progression, and skills utilisation.

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Title: Field of study and the subjective labour market outcomes of UK graduates: examining meaningful work, career progression, and skills utilisation.
Authors: Brophy, Sean (AUTHOR), Christie, Fiona (AUTHOR), Scurry, Tracy (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. May2025, Vol. 50 Issue 5, p974-987. 14p.
Subjects: Young adults, Labor market, Inductive effect, Job skills, Vocational education
Abstract: Field choice in higher education has been shown to be highly influential on earnings and employment, yet little is known about how field of study affects recent graduates' subjective labour market outcomes. This article uses 'Graduate Voice' data from the 2018/19 UK Graduate Outcomes survey to examine the effect of field choice on three subjective measures: whether work is meaningful, career is on track, and using graduate skills. Employing a selection on observables approach with logit regressions and robustness checks using Nearest Neighbour Matching, we reveal significant differences across fields of study. While graduates across all fields report positive outcomes, certain vocational fields – particularly medicine and dentistry, allied health fields, veterinary science, and education – show exceptionally strong results. These patterns generally hold across sex, ethnicity, and social class, with interaction effects showing little significant effects. These findings support previous research linking vocational education to smoother labour market entry for young people. The positive subjective outcomes across all fields challenge assertions about 'low value' degrees in the UK, suggesting the need to consider both objective and subjective measures in field of study decisions and policy discussions on returns to higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Field of study and the subjective labour market outcomes of UK graduates: examining meaningful work, career progression, and skills utilisation.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22">Studies in Higher Education</searchLink>. May2025, Vol. 50 Issue 5, p974-987. 14p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Young+adults%22">Young adults</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Labor+market%22">Labor market</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Inductive+effect%22">Inductive effect</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Job+skills%22">Job skills</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Vocational+education%22">Vocational education</searchLink>
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  Data: Field choice in higher education has been shown to be highly influential on earnings and employment, yet little is known about how field of study affects recent graduates' subjective labour market outcomes. This article uses 'Graduate Voice' data from the 2018/19 UK Graduate Outcomes survey to examine the effect of field choice on three subjective measures: whether work is meaningful, career is on track, and using graduate skills. Employing a selection on observables approach with logit regressions and robustness checks using Nearest Neighbour Matching, we reveal significant differences across fields of study. While graduates across all fields report positive outcomes, certain vocational fields – particularly medicine and dentistry, allied health fields, veterinary science, and education – show exceptionally strong results. These patterns generally hold across sex, ethnicity, and social class, with interaction effects showing little significant effects. These findings support previous research linking vocational education to smoother labour market entry for young people. The positive subjective outcomes across all fields challenge assertions about 'low value' degrees in the UK, suggesting the need to consider both objective and subjective measures in field of study decisions and policy discussions on returns to higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2492799
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 974
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      – SubjectFull: Young adults
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Labor market
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Inductive effect
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Job skills
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      – SubjectFull: Vocational education
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              Text: May2025
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              Y: 2025
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