An important indicator of performance with regard to graduate employment is the graduate level job indicator. Universities use the HESA SOC2010 coding system to identify those in graduate level jobs. This has replaced the Elias & Purcell (2004) method for defining graduate level occupations and is intended to provide a stronger coding system. Further details of this are shown in the Appendices tab. This indicator is used in calculations that go towards producing league tables and is therefore a useful area for analysis. The table below shows the proportion of Sussex postgraduate leavers whose job is classified as graduate level.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
| 83% | 90% | 87% |
Table 2 proportion of Sussex postgraduate degree leavers in graduate level jobs
A full department level breakdown of destinations is available in the Executive Summary tab and a breakdown by department of the level of work is available below in the Graduate Level Work link.
|
Level of occupation class of 2014 |
|
|
|
Graduate level jobs total composed of: |
87% |
475 |
|
Managers, directors and senior officials |
5% |
25 |
|
Professional occupations |
60% |
325 |
|
Associate professional and technical occupations |
23%
|
125 |
|
Non-graduate level jobs composed of: |
13% |
78 |
|
Administrative and secretarial occupations |
5% |
29 |
|
Skilled trades occupations |
1% |
4 |
|
Caring, leisure and other service occupations |
2% |
10 |
|
Sales and customer service occupations |
4% |
23 |
|
Process, plant and machine operatives |
1% |
3 |
|
Elementary occupations |
2% |
9 |
The level of jobs are determined by the SOC2010 classification system which is in use
across all sectors and is the generally accepted standardised class system for occupations.
These are the main industrial sectors that are employing Sussex postgraduate leavers
Using Postcode Information of Employers:
33% of employed leavers stayed in the local area.
This has increased slightly from last year's 30% but is significantly below the peak of 47% from 2011
Brighton & Hove, more than any other area in the Sussex region, provided the most employment opportunities. The local economy requires highly skilled graduates and the Coast to Capital Economic Plan (2014) identifies digital business, sustainable enterprise, advanced engineering and bioscience clusters at the forefront of economic development regionally.
Average salary of 2014 Sussex PG leavers: £25,000
The Highfliers UK Graduates Careers Survey 2015** had an median salary reaching, for the first time, £30,000 from graduate employers nationally.
The average public sector worker was paid £20,000 a year down 9% on 2014, compared with private sector workers who were paid £30,000. (Source: High Fliers)
And the most generous salaries on offer in Investment Banking, Law and Banking & Finance.
However, it is important to note that AGR salary figures and the Highfliers figures are sampled from large blue-chip organisations likely to offer higher salaries.