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Life

03rd May 2016

The Higher Education Authority have revealed the best and worst-paid graduates

The study also revealed emigration levels.

Ellen Tannam

Irish college graduates employment levels are improving but more than 10% of graduates are still emigrating very soon after finishing their studies.

A new report was released by the Higher Education Authority indicating that employment rates for BA Hons students have risen from 45% in 2009 to 58% in 2014.

The highest level of employment is in the education sector, although most of these jobs are part-time positions.

Computer Science and ICT students are the most likely to find employment here in Ireland, and they’re also the highest earners out of all the graduate sectors will 62% earning €29,000 or more per year.

It’s bad news for those in the arts and humanities field, as those graduates are the least well-paid, with a quarter of them earning less than €13k. Ouch.

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53% of graduates are working in a field that is relevant to their area of study.

The report was based on over 18,000 survey responses representing 69% of levels 8-10 graduates of Ireland’s third level institutions.

On a positive note, if you choose to stay in education, your salary will eventually make quite a jump. For example over half of honours degree grads earn €25k while 31% of those who hold doctorates earn over €45k a year.

Something to consider though, is that the cost of remaining in higher education might be an obstacle to those who want to earn that sweet doctorate’s salary.

If you’re interested, you can read the full report here.