Around 18% of bachelor’s degree graduates in Austria were unable to secure a job within a year of finishing their studies, according to an EU-wide study.
By comparison, 92% of those with a master’s degree found work in the same period.
The Eurograduate 2022 study, which looked at the 2021/2022 academic year, found that employment rates were particularly high among graduates in business, administration, and information and communication technology, where more than 97% were in work.
Overqualified or mismatched
Almost half of master’s and diploma graduates (46%) admitted their current job required a lower level of education. For bachelor’s graduates, the figure was still significant at 32%.
In addition, nearly a third of bachelor’s graduates said their job was unrelated to their field of study. For those with a master’s degree, this was less common at 15%.
Unemployment and early entry into work
The survey found that 83% of master’s and diploma graduates entered the workforce up to six months before finishing their studies, particularly those studying at teacher training colleges or universities of applied sciences.
However, more than a quarter (19%) of master’s and diploma graduates said they had experienced unemployment at least once, with an average period of joblessness lasting about three months.
Job satisfaction
Despite these challenges, overall job satisfaction was high. More than 7 in 10 graduates (71%) said they were very satisfied with their jobs.
The main reasons for this included a positive working environment and good work-life balance. However, respondents were less happy with their income and career progression opportunities. Graduates in human and dental medicine stood out as exceptions, reporting fewer concerns in these areas.
Educational mobility
The study also highlighted educational mobility among graduates. Overall, 60% achieved a higher level of education than their parents.
However, this varied depending on the subject studied. For instance, half of all human and dental medicine graduates had at least one parent with a university degree, compared to just 26% of those in social work.
Only 4% of all graduates said both parents had no more than a compulsory school education. In contrast, 40% reported that at least one parent had attended university.
The study
The Eurograduate 2022 study, commissioned by the European Commission, surveyed 12,433 university graduates from 17 European countries. It focused on those who completed their degrees in the 2021/2022 academic year. In Austria, the study was carried out by Statistik Austria on behalf of the Ministry of Education.
