Positive ProspectsCareers for Sociology Graduates and Why

Number and Data Skills Matter

Dr. Ashley Lenihan and Sharon WitherspoonCampaign for Social Science

#SocSciCareers@CfSocialScience

Overview• Prospects– Employment, sectors & occupations, Earnings, Institutions

• Futures• Pathways– AS/A level maths, impact of number & data skills on earnings

• Conclusions

What we’re NOT saying• This is NOT a full causal analysis – Self-selection of students, complex pathways– Most important, IMMEDIATE employment outcomes

• NOT saying all social science studies should be number-based– Appreciate sociological theory, small-group studies, other

methods, etc. • NOT saying ALL students need same level of number and data skills,

or that these skills are the same as standard statistical analyses• But ARE saying we need more social science undergraduates with

these skills

Almost 4 out of 10 students graduate from university with a social science degree.*

With 6.4% of social science graduates, or 2.3% of all graduates receiving sociology degrees.

Population

• Sociology graduates have good employment prospects.• One year after graduation:– 63% in work in the UK or abroad– An additional 7% in a combination of work & study– An additional 19% in further study alone

• In other words: 89% are in some form of work and/or study

Employment Prospects

Destinations of full-time sociology graduates 2015/16

61% in UK Work

1% in Overseas Work

7% in Work & Further Study

19% in Further Study

6% Unemployed

5% Other

UK Work Overseas Work Work & Further Study Further Study Unemployed Other

However, sociology graduates’ immediate employment rates are slightly lower than those of the other social sciences combined.

Employment Prospects

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

STEM

Accounting

Other Social Sciences

Arts & Humanities

Finance

Full-Time Work (UK & Overseas) Combination of Work and Further Study Further Study

Total in Work and/or Study

88.6%

88.7%

90.2%

91.5%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

STEM

Other SocialSciences

Sociology

Arts &Humanities

Sociology graduates’ immediate employment rates are average relative to the rest of the social sciences disciplines

– though this can be explained by the higher number that go on to further study– notably social work graduates have higher immediate employment rates

Employment Prospects

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Law by Area (M1)Broadly-Based Prog. within Law (M0)

Law by Topic (M2)Politics (L2)

Academic Studies in Education (X3)Human & Social Geography (L7)

Psychology (C8)Anthropology (L6)

Social Policy (L4)Sociology (L3)

Economics (L1)Business Studies (N1)

Management Studies (N2)Finance (N3)

Architecture (K1)Social Work (L5)

Hospitality, Leisure, Sport, ... (N8)Accounting (N4)Marketing (N5)

Building (K2)Training Teachers (X1)

Full-Time Work (UK & Abroad) Work & Further Study Further Study

Sociology graduates go on to work in a wide range of sectors and occupations, confirming that their skills are useful in a range of fields.

Sectors

SectorsSociology graduates go on to work in a wider range of sectors than many other social science fields, where graduates tend to concentrate on specific industries

Accounting Graduates

Economics Graduates

Financial & Insurance Activities (28%)

Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities (27%)

Information & Communication (9%)

Human & Social Geography Graduates

Professional, Scientific & TechnicalActivities (21%)

Wholesale & Retail Trade (13%)

Education (10%)

Politics Graduates

Financial & Insurance Activities (10%)

Professional, Scientific & Technical Activities (15%)

Public Administration & Defence (13%)

Finance Graduates

Wholesale & Retail Trade (8%)

Sociology Graduates

Education (12%)

Public Administration & Defence (16%)Professional, Scientific & TechnicalActivities (29%)

Financial & Insurance Activities (26%)Human Health & Social Work Activities (13%)

Wholesale & Retail Trade (9%)

Professional, Scientific & TechnicalActivities (44%)

Financial & Insurance Activities (12%)

OccupationsSociology graduates also go on to a range of occupations, with 58% of them going on to work in professional occupations. • The most popular professions are:

• The most popular non-professional occupations are:

24% Business and public service associate professionals

10% Health and social care associate professionals

6% Business, media and public service professionals

13% Administrative occupations

8% Caring personal service occupations

6% Sales occupations

60% of global leaders have undergraduate degrees in social science.

Social science graduates as a whole account for large percentages of those in leadership positions in many career fields.

Social Science Leadership

Social scientists generally do well in terms of earnings. • One year after graduation, the median salary of all UK domiciled full-time

graduates in the social sciences was broadly similar to the median salary of all subjects combined.

Earnings

£10,000 £12,000 £14,000 £16,000 £18,000 £20,000 £22,000

LawBusiness &…

Architecture,…Social Studies

[All Subjects Total]Education

Male Female

EarningsSociology graduates do less well in terms of earnings – ranking in the bottom third of social science disciplines for salaries in the median range, and for salaries in the upper and lower quartiles.

Social science degrees that are more professionalised,/vocational or whose graduates are more likely to have number and data skills, tend to have higher earnings one year after graduation.

Institutions Matter TooSociology students graduating from Russell Group universities do better on average – andat the lower and upper quartiles – than others in terms of reported earnings one year after graduation.

However, this effect is not as big for sociology graduates as it is for students in some other social science disciplines where students are expected to have number and data skills – like economics, finance, and accounting.

• Social science graduates have analytical skills making them valuable to employers.

• But as the nature of work changes, social scientists are likely to need to enhance their number and data skills in the context of the digital revolution. – This will help them successfully compete in tomorrow’s job market– It will also allow them to play their part in solving the society’s grand challenges.

• This is especially true for sociology students, who have great potential to combine big data with an astute understanding of society to help address critical challenges facing the UK today.

Futures

Recall: Sociology graduates often go into professional occupations across an array of industries. – Mason et al. have found that an increasing percentage of 20-60 year-olds feel that advanced

mathematical and statistical skills were important to their work– And that advanced mathematical and statistical skills are ‘essential or very important’ for managers

and professionals.

Futures

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%

1997 2001 2006 2012

Advanced Mathematics / Statistics Fairly Important

Advanced Mathematics / Statistics Essential or Very Important

Ø The numbers of social science undergraduates who have completed AS or A levels in mathematics varies by the subject of their degree

Ø Fewer than one in twentysociology students in the UK had an A level in mathematics in 2007 or 2010.

PathwaysUndergraduates with A level mathematics, by subject of study at University (Hillman 2014)

• Social science graduates who are more likely to have number and data skills, and to have A level mathematics, do particularly well in terms of earnings.

• Sociology students’ earnings may be affected by lower levels of these skills.

Impact on Earnings

Estimate earning returns to university degrees by subject (Index by Sloane and O’Leary 2004)

Social Science Subjects Other Subjects Social Science Subjects Other Subjects

-5 5 15 25 35 45

ArtsSociology

EnglishHistory

Social SciencesNursingPoliticsBiology

PsychologyLanguages

Architecture & RelatedCombinedGeography

SciencesBusiness & Financial Studies

EducationLaw

EconomicsCivil Engineering

Engineering & TechnologyMedicine & Related

Mechanical EngineeringMaths & Computing

Electrical EngineeringAccountancy

Men

-5 5 15 25 35 45

PoliticsArts

HistoryBiology

PsychologyLanguages

GeographyCombined

SciencesSociology

EnglishEconomics

Social SciencesEngineering & Technology

Civil EngineeringMechanical Engineering

NursingBusiness & Financial Studies

Maths & ComputingArchitecture & Related

Electrical EngineeringEducation

LawMedicine & Related

Accountancy

Women

Conclusions• There is about as much variation in STEM employment

and earnings as there is in social sciences. • Sociology students have good prospects• These will be enhanced if students can show number

and data skills• This is an issue for undergraduate teaching• BUT ALSO schools policy could help make continuing

engagement with number more common • Early specialisation, multiple pathways, clear signalling