The table compares the employment rate of first-degree undergraduates in the UK in 2001.Overall, while the figures for Scotland were virtually the highest in the year studied, a reversal pattern was observed in Northern Ireland. Interestingly, the highest employment shares were seen in permanent employment rates and the lowest in overseas employment.
Regarding the total employment rates, Scotland had by far the highest figures (66.4%), which was closely followed by England at 58.3%. Less than 50% of first-year students in Wales and Northern Ireland secured a job, with the former country showing 45.3% and the latter having 33.6%.
Permanent employment rates were higher than temporary employment across all countries listed. 43.6 percent of Scottish first-year graduates were permanently employed in 2001, as opposed to just over 20 percent who got temporary jobs. Permanent employment rates in England and Wales were almost identical with respective figures of 33 and 30 percent, while the former, with 23 percent, had nearly two times higher temporary employment than the latter. One-fifth of first-year graduates from Northern Ireland had permanent jobs while temporary employment in this country was 8.6 percent, both of which were the lowest among the countries.
All four British countries showed similar overseas employment rates, with Northern Ireland leading the list at 5 percent, which was followed by Wales at just below 3 percent. Scotland and England showed identical 2.3 percent of their students being employed in overseas countries.