The scarring effect of graduate underemployment: Evidence from the UK by Dr Matt Dickson

The UK has one of the highest proportions of tertiary educated workers in Europe but also one of the highest rates of graduate underemployment i.e. graduates not attaining graduate-level jobs. To date little is known about the extent to which failure to get a graduate job after university impacts career prospects further down the line. Using a sample of 55,000 graduates surveyed 6-months and three-and-a-half-years post-graduation, findings show that graduates who are underemployed 6-months after graduation are much more likely to also be underemployed three years later than those who initially secure graduate jobs, even after taking account or a range of background characteristics and prior educational attainment. In this event, Matt will explore why the impact of underemployment is shown to be more severe for graduates from less advantaged backgrounds and the implications that has for widening participation policies and support at universities.