Graduate Outcomes SOC 2020 update
HESA has published updates to its 2017/18 Graduate Outcomes employment statistics using the new Standard Occupational Classification SOC 2020 coding frame.
View Graduate Outcomes SOC 2020 update: UK, 2017/18
Results of the Graduate Outcomes survey use the ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) to analyse the skill level of different jobs. Results of the survey of 2018/19 graduates will be published in July 2021 using the latest 2020 version of SOC. To enable the new data to be compared with last year’s survey HESA has re-coded the 2017/18 results using the new SOC 2020.
The data released today shows a small increase in the proportion of graduates in occupations classified as ‘high skilled’. Under the old SOC 2010 classification 75.9% of graduates working in the UK were in highly skilled occupations compared with 76.4% using the new classification. The proportion of graduates in occupations classified as low skilled remained the same at 9.9% after the coding change.
Over 2,000 survey respondents were in occupations previously classified as ‘Caring, leisure and other service occupations’ in the medium skilled group which the new coding places in ‘Associate professional occupations’ in the high skilled group. Examples of occupations whose classification has changed include higher level teaching assistants and veterinary nurses.
HESA’s ad-hoc statistical bulletin Graduate Outcomes SOC 2020 update: UK, 2017/18 includes updated versions of relevant occupation tables previously published using the SOC 2010 classification, as well as comparisons of the results under the old and new SOC classifications.
Earlier this month HESA published two reports on the use of ONS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) in Graduate Outcomes which review the quality assurance process for 2018/19 and verify the application of SOC 2020 to 2017/18 data. Independent coding of occupations by the Office for National Statistics found ‘almost perfect’ alignment between coders at the major-group level.
Notes
- See Definitions: Graduate Outcomes for definitions of terms used in the release and explanation of the coverage of statistics.
- See Upcoming data releases for a schedule of Official Statistics releases from HESA.
- See Standard Occupational Classification: SOC2010 and Standard Occupational Classification: SOC2020 for full lists of occupation codes and their groupings.
- HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties.
