An Overview
Graduates with business and administrative degrees continue to enjoy good employment prospects. Their rate of employment measured six months after graduation is markedly higher than the average (81.1% for accountancy degrees and 77.5% for business and management studies compared with 68.4% for all first degrees). Although graduates from these disciplines undertake a wide range of occupations, there are distinct preferences with, for example, 23.8% of business and management studies graduates entering commercial, industrial and public sector management occupations and 42.8% of accountancy graduates taking jobs within the business and finance professions. Not surprisingly, chartered, certified and management accountancy continue to attract high numbers of accountancy graduates. In 2000, 19.2% of first degree graduates undertook some form of further study, compared with 9.4% of accountancy graduates and 8.4% of business and management studies graduates. This has been a traditional trend, with these degree groups preferring to pursue professional development and training through on-the-job opportunities. Another factor influencing this pattern has been the rise in management training positions. The overall unemployment rate, 5.8%, for business and administrative studies graduates, is also encouragingly similar to that of the figure (5.5%) for all first degrees. In summary, this is a healthy picture of good employment and low unemployment rates. Early Careers and Earnings
Analysis of vacancies appearing in Prospects Today (a national graduate vacancy bulletin distributed to all careers services) shows that in the year to May 2001, the average graduate starting salary offered was £17,786. There is a variety of starting salaries for different occupations popular with business and administrative studies graduates (see the figure below), eg £18,059 for finance-related jobs, £16,935 for administration-related jobs and £19,308 for management consultancy. Interestingly, a recent survey undertaken by Universum Communications (Universum) shows that 38% of business students rated management consultancy as their ideal career. 
Trends
The table below shows the first destinations of business and administrative graduates between 1997 and 2000. During this period, the level of unemployment amongst these graduates fell by 1.5%, in line with the 1.4% decline in graduate unemployment for all disciplines. The percentage of accountancy graduates entering employment has risen from 77.8% in 1997 to 81.1% in 2000. The percentage of business and management graduates entering employment has dropped slightly from 78.9% in 1997 to 77.5% in 2000, but the rate for further study/training has increased from 6.9% to 8.4% during the same period. | | The first destinations of business and administrative studies graduates, 1997-2000 | | Numbers graduating (survey respondents) | Entering employment [%] | Entering further study/ training [%] | Unemployed at time of survey [%] | Other [%] | | 2000 | 1997 | 2000 | 1997 | 2000 | 1997 | 2000 | 1997 | 2000 | 1997 | All First Degree Subjects | 170,751 | 171,279 | 68.4 | 67.8 | 19.2 | 19.4 | 5.5 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 5.9 | Accountancy | 2,326 | 2,172 | 81.1 | 77.8 | 9.4 | 9.4 | 4.8 | 7.6 | 4.7 | 5.3 | Busines & Management Studies | 10,903 | 10,260 | 77.5 | 78.9 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 7.2 | 8.1 | 7.0 | All Business & Administrative Studies | 13,229 | 12,432 | 78.1 | 78.7 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 6.7 |
Further Resources
Types of jobs in the following job categories: AGCAS publications are available in your local higher education careers service, or you can order publications from CSU. Useful Web Sites
On this site for a wealth of careers related information by exploring types of jobs and options with your subject. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Biz Ed Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Financial Information Net Directory Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) Chartered Management Institute (CMI) Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy (CIPFA) Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS) ifs School of Finance | 
