Econometrists can set to work straight away; culture studies graduates have a more challenging starting position

Recently graduated econometrists find it relatively easy to secure a steady job and decent wages, according to benefits agency UWV. The job prospects of culture studies graduates, on the other hand, are poor.

This is set out in a recent UWV report about the job market for academics. Recent graduates of eight different degree programmes have ‘very good’ prospects on the job market. Besides econometrists, a bright future is beckoning for e.g. dentists, fiscal economists, computer scientists and teachers of languages and science subjects.

Little cause for complaint

The alumni of these programmes generally manage to land a job in no time, are quickly offered an open-ended contract and earn a relatively high income. Falling just short of this top tier are newly graduated physicians, mechanical engineers and innovation managers, who also have little cause for complaint.

UWV’s news for Humanities and Arts masters, archaeologists, historians and anthropologists is less reassuring. These graduates are rarely offered a permanent position and it also takes them far longer to secure a decent living (i.e. at least three days a week of paid work and a reasonable salary).

The report is based on research performed by the Elsevier weekly and the SEO research bureau, with UWV making its own analyses of the results. The actual research data were sourced from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The study is not based on a sample survey, but on an analysis of all graduates.

On the up

The benefits agency also reviewed the graduates’ position in the job market ten years on. Once again, dentists are firmly in the lead, and the same applies to a number of other degree programmes where graduates enjoyed a comfortable starting position from the get-go. The only group to drift out of the top 8 after a decade are university-trained teachers, according to UWV.

The report continues to paint a rather grim picture for programmes at the bottom of the ranking. For example, Arts graduates, archaeologists and cultural scientists continue to enjoy limited career development in the longer term. Remarkably enough, the job market position of neuroscientists also deteriorates to ‘very poor’ over the course of a decade.

Diplomacy

International Relations and International Law are the odd ones out: while recent graduates apparently fall behind at the start of their careers – generally immersing themselves in various internships and diplomatic programmes – they make up this lost ground over the next few years.