Luxembourg tops country rankings for graduate employment
Eurostat has published a new study for 2022 on the employment of graduates of higher and secondary vocational education in Europe. The first place in the ranking is shared by Luxembourg and the Netherlands, where 93% of young professionals find a job after graduation. This is the highest figure in the European Union.
According to the report, 82% of graduates in the European Union between the ages of 20 and 34 find a job after graduation. This figure has been steadily increasing since 2014 and is now up 7 points. The only decrease in the graph was in 2019, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Luxembourg and the Netherlands top the list of leading countries. Germany ranks second with 92%, followed by Malta (91%). The lowest rates are recorded in Italy (65%), Greece (66%) and Romania (70%).
The employment rate is slightly higher for men than for women: 83% compared with 81%. However, this gap is significantly smaller in 2022 compared to 2014, when it was 4 points. Eurostat experts believe that such a difference depends on the fields studied and the demand on the labour market, as women and men tend to choose different courses in universities.
Overall, this trend is observed in 19 EU countries. The largest gap is in the Czech Republic, where the difference between men and women is 12 points (about 87% vs. 75%).
The EU has also set a target of employing at least 82% of graduates from secondary education. In 2022, this figure reached 79% (81% for men and 77% for women). Luxembourg has already achieved this target, as have Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Hungary, Denmark, Austria, the Czech Republic, Malta, Portugal, and Poland. The countries with the lowest employment rates were Romania (57%), Greece (59%), and Italy (60%).
The Eurostat survey is timed to coincide with International Youth Day, which will be celebrated this Saturday, August 12.
Unicareers, the largest job fair for students, will take place in Luxembourg in September. This is a great opportunity for future professionals to meet employers, learn more about their desired careers and present themselves as future candidates.
