How do graduate and non-graduate salaries compare?
According to a study from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) referring to the situation in England, in 2007, the difference in gross hourly earnings (full-time workers) between graduates and those educated to A-level or equivalent remained high at 47%. For more information, go to Statistical First Releases, SFR01/2008 (28 February 2008).
The Research Report: The economic benefits of a degree published by Universities UK in February 2007, reports the average lifetime earnings of a graduate as £160,000 more than those of a non-graduate with two A-levels. Within this average there is a range from £340,315 for medical and dental graduates to £51,549 for a humanities degree and £34,949 for an arts degree.
In general men from lower socio-economic backgrounds and families with low incomes had proportionately higher income uplifts than men from higher socio-economic backgrounds and higher income families. Women from all backgrounds had a higher proportionate uplift in income compared to women from all backgrounds with two A-levels than did men. This may be because non-graduate women tend to be less well paid than non-graduate men.
The table below show the results of an analysis from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (formerly DIUS) comparing the gross weekly earnings of full-time workers in the UK by highest qualification and age. Data was sourced from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) 2008.
| Age | Degree or equivalent (£) | Higher education (sub-degree) (£) | GCE A-level or equivalent (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21-22 | 336 | 305 | 306 |
| 23-24 | 398 | 361 | 350 |
| 25-26 | 480 | 376 | 393 |
| 27-28 | 556 | 446 | 428 |
| 29-30 | 633 | 485 | 465 |
| 31-32 | 666 | 500 | 468 |
| 33-34 | 730 | 572 | 534 |
| All ages (21-34) | 555 | 444 | 409 |
Figure 1 presents the Labour Force Survey data from table 1
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