Does this tally with your experience of working life after college?
A study of Irish higher education graduates in Ireland over five years showed that median weekly earnings were €420 per week in the first week after graduation and €640 per week five years later.
The study, a collaborative project between the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) involved students in higher education in Ireland from 2010 to 2014 and analysed the outcomes of graduates in terms of employment, re-enrolment in education, the industry sectors in which graduates work and their earnings over time.
Amongst the findings revealed in the study was that, in the first year after graduation, median weekly earnings were equal for men and women at €420 per week.
After five years, however, median weekly earnings for men, at €655 per week, were €20 above the figure of €635 per week for women.
In terms of employment, perhaps reflective of the upturn in the economy in recent years, the study showed that 76% of 2014 graduates were in substantial employment in the first year after graduation, compared to 66% of 2010 graduates.
Substantial employment refers to graduates who reach a threshold of 12 weeks of work within the year and receive average weekly earnings of at least €100, or have substantial self-employment, only within the Republic of Ireland is considered.
A graduate’s weekly earnings, meanwhile, is calculated as the total gross pay from their main employer divided by the weeks of insurable work.
Median weekly earnings for level 8 graduates with a H1 award was €745 per week five years after graduation, the study revealed, which was €175 higher than the median of €570 for graduates with a H3.
The field of study with the highest median weekly earnings for 2010 graduates five years after graduation was Information & Communication Technology at €775 per week, followed by Education at €740 and Health & Welfare at €705.
Median weekly earnings for Education graduates in their first year after graduation dropped from €705 for 2010 graduates to €560 for 2014 graduates. The median for Health & Welfare also dropped, from €590 to €565, over the same time period.
You can read more about the study on the CSO website.
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