Graduate labour market outcomes (LEO)
Tax year 2022-23

Description

This page describes the data included in the ‘LEO Graduate and postgraduate outcomes publication: Tax year 2022/23’ accredited official statistics release’s underlying data files.

The publication methodology, available on the publication report, should be referenced alongside this data. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality as well as explaining methodology used in producing the data.

Coverage

Employment and earnings outcomes for graduates and postgraduates of English Higher Education (HE) providers, one, three, five and ten years after graduation (YAG), 2016/17 to 2022/23 tax years. UK domiciled and International (EU and non-EU domiciled) outcomes are separated.

File formats and conventions

Files are Comma Separated Value (CSV)

Conventions

- Earnings figures are rounded to the nearest £100
- Employment outcome percentages are rounded to the nearest 0.1%
- All populations are rounded to the nearest 5 full-person equivalent (FPE) individuals
- Any differences in outcome percentages or earnings are calculated using unrounded values
- c = data has been suppressed due to small numbers.
- z = there is no result (N/A)

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue?publicationId=b329f8e4-4191-4f0c-66a8-08d9daa3b093&releaseVersionId=20a83553-df0f-4fc1-e6d5-08dc0dccb030).

Data files

Headline figures

Filename: headline_figures.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2022-23
Content summary: Headline statistics for the LEO graduate and postgraduate outcomes publication,

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
eu_median_fd         |  EU domiciled median first degree graduate earnings five years after graduation
fsm_gap              |  Free school meals (FSM) first degree graduate median earnings lower than non-FSM five years after graduation by
median_nominal_fd    |  Median first degree graduate earnings five years after graduation
median_nominal_l7t   |  Median level 7 (taught) postgraduate earnings five years after graduation
sex_gap              |  Female first degree graduate earnings lower than male five years after graduation by
sust_emp_fs_both_fd  |  First degree graduates in sustained employment, further study or both five years after graduation


Outcomes and earnings data

Filename: underlying_data.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016-17 to 2022-23
Content summary: The primary dataset for the LEO graduate and postgraduate outcomes publication, containing employment outcomes and earnings of graduates by qualification level, subject studied and graduate characteristics.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                |  Variable description
---------------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
activity_not_captured        |  Activity not captured
age_band                     |  Age band at start of study - Filter by Age band at start of study
country_of_domicile_grouped  |  Domicile - Filter by Domicile
earnings_include             |  Graduates included in earnings figures
earnings_LQ                  |  Lower quartile of earnings of graduates
earnings_median              |  Median earnings of graduates
earnings_UQ                  |  Upper quartile of earnings of graduates
ethnicity_minor              |  Ethnicity - Filter by Ethnicity
fs_with_or_without_sust_emp  |  Further study with or without sustained employment
FSM                          |  Free school meal status - Filter by Free school meal status
grads                        |  Graduates
grads_uk                     |  Graduates included in outcomes calculation
inst_type                    |  Provider type - Filter by Provider type
matched                      |  Matched graduates
no_sust_dest                 |  No sustained destination
overseas_percent             |  Overseas graduates
POLAR4                       |  Local area HE participation grouping - Filter by Local area HE participation grouping
prior_attainment             |  Prior attainment level - Filter by Prior attainment level
qualification_level          |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
region_name_current          |  Region after HE study - Filter by Region after HE study
region_name_origin           |  Region prior to HE study - Filter by Region prior to HE study
residence                    |  Term time residence - Filter by Term time residence
sex                          |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
study_mode                   |  Study mode - Filter by Study mode
subject_name                 |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied
sust_emp_fs_or_both          |  Sustained employment further study or both
sust_emp_only                |  Sustained employment only
sust_emp_with_or_without_fs  |  Sustained employment with or without further study
unmatched_percent            |  Unmatched graduates
YAG                          |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation

Footnotes:

1. Free school meals (FSM) status is based on the school census records at any point between school years 6 and 11.
2. Prior attainment is defined by UCAS points achieved at A level. Three A/A* grades are equivalent to 360 points, while 180 points is equivalent to three D grades. A further explanation of prior attainment breakdowns, and a table of UCAS points and grade equivalents can be found in the methodology.
3. POLAR (participation of local areas) classifies local areas into quintiles based on the proportion of 18 year olds who enter higher education at age 18 or 19. Graduates from POLAR quintile 1 are from areas with the lowest rate of progression into higher education and graduates from POLAR quintile 5 are from areas with the highest rate of progression. POLAR is an indicator of the relative deprivation of a geographical area. For more information on POLAR, please see the methodology document.
4. In contrast to the UK domiciled section of this release, which uses matched graduates, employment and/or further study outcomes for international graduates are calculated as a percentage of all graduates, excluding only those identified by DWP/HMRC or SLC as permanently living overseas.


Real terms earnings data

Filename: real_terms_earnings_data.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016-17 to 2022-23
Content summary: Nominal earnings and real terms earnings, by subject studied for UK domiciled first degree and level 7 graduates of English Higher Education providers.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------
earnings_include     |  Graduates included in earnings figures
earnings_LQ          |  Lower quartile of nominal earnings
earnings_LQ_RTE      |  Lower quartile of real term earnings
earnings_median      |  Median nominal earnings
earnings_median_RTE  |  Median real term earnings
earnings_UQ          |  Upper quartile of nominal earnings
earnings_UQ_RTE      |  Upper quartile of real term earnings
grads                |  Graduates
grads_uk             |  Graduates included in outcomes calculation
qualification_level  |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
subject_name         |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied
YAG                  |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation

Footnotes:

1. The adjustment for inflation used the 2016/17 tax year as a base year, hence real earnings in this year are presented as equal to nominal earnings. For 2017/18 to 2022/23 nominal earnings were adjusted using Consumer Price Index (CPIH) inflation rates at the end of each tax year relative to the end of the previous tax year.


Job quality underlying data

Filename: job_quality_data.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2019-20 to 2022-23
Content summary: Underlying dataset for the job quality sections of the LEO graduate and postgraduate outcomes publication, containing mean job quality scores by region and earnings bands.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------
earnings_group       |  Earnings band - Filter by earnings band
mean_job_quality     |  Mean job quality score
region_name_current  |  Region after HE study - Filter by region after HE study
sample_size          |  Sample size
standard_error       |  Standard error


CAH level 3 subject data

Filename: cah3_subject_level_data.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016-17 to 2022-23
Content summary: Employment outcomes and earnings data at a more granular subject level, using CAH3 level subjects.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                |  Variable description
---------------------------  |  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
activity_not_captured        |  Activity not captured
CAH3_subject                 |  Subject studied by CAH Level 3 subject group - Filter by CAH level 3 subject
earnings_include             |  Graduates included in earnings figures
earnings_LQ                  |  Lower quartile of earnings of graduates
earnings_median              |  Median earnings of graduates
earnings_UQ                  |  Upper quartile of earnings of graduates
fs_with_or_without_sust_emp  |  Further study with or without sustained employment
grads                        |  Graduates
grads_uk                     |  Graduates included in outcomes calculation
matched                      |  Matched graduates
no_sust_dest                 |  No sustained destination
overseas_percent             |  Overseas graduates
qualification_level          |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
sex                          |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
sust_emp_fs_or_both          |  Sustained employment further study or both
sust_emp_only                |  Sustained employment only
sust_emp_with_or_without_fs  |  Sustained employment with or without further study
unmatched_percent            |  Unmatched graduates
YAG                          |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation


Graduate movement data

Filename: movement_data.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016-17 to 2022-23
Content summary: Data showing the regional movement of graduates before, during and after study.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name       |  Variable description
------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FSM                 |  Free school meal status - Filter by Free school meal status
grads               |  Number of graduates
grads_uk            |  Graduates included in outcomes calculation
matched             |  Number of matched graduates
migration1          |  Migration to univeristy - Filter by Migration to university
migration2          |  Migration from univeristy - Filter by Migration from university
overseas_percent    |  percent of graduates that are overseas
POLAR4              |  Local area HE participation grouping - Filter by Local area HE participation grouping
prop_overall        |  Proportion of graduates
region_name_origin  |  Region prior to HE study - Filter by Region prior to HE study
selective_status    |  Selective status - Filter by Selective status
unmatched_percent   |  Unmatched graduates
YAG                 |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation

Footnotes:

1. Free school meals (FSM) status is based on the school census records at any point between school years 6 and 11.
2. POLAR (participation of local areas) classifies local areas into quintiles based on the proportion of 18 year olds who enter higher education at age 18 or 19. Graduates from POLAR quintile 1 are from areas with the lowest rate of progression into higher education and graduates from POLAR quintile 5 are from areas with the highest rate of progression. POLAR is an indicator of the relative deprivation of a geographical area. For more information on POLAR, please see the methodology document.


International countries data

Filename: international_top20countries_data.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016-17 to 2022-23
Content summary: Employment outcomes and earnings data for international graduates of English Higher Education providers, for the top 20 countries that had the largest first degree and level 7 cohorts (2020/21 academic year).

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                |  Variable description
---------------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------
activity_not_captured        |  Activity not captured
country_of_domicile          |  Country name - Filter by Country name
country_of_domicile_grouped  |  Domicile - Filter by Domicile
earnings_include             |  Graduates included in earnings figures
earnings_LQ                  |  Lower quartile of earnings of graduates
earnings_median              |  Median earnings of graduates
earnings_UQ                  |  Upper quartile of earnings of graduates
fs_with_or_without_sust_emp  |  Further study with or without sustained employment
grads                        |  Graduates
grads_uk                     |  Graduates included in outcomes calculation
matched                      |  Matched graduates
no_sust_dest                 |  No sustained destination
overseas_percent             |  Overseas graduates
qualification_level          |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
sex                          |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
sust_emp_fs_or_both          |  Sustained employment further study or both
sust_emp_only                |  Sustained employment only
sust_emp_with_or_without_fs  |  Sustained employment with or without further study
unmatched_percent            |  Unmatched graduates
YAG                          |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation

Footnotes:

1. In contrast to the UK domiciled section of this release, which uses matched graduates, employment and/or further study outcomes for international graduates are calculated as a percentage of all graduates, excluding only those identified by DWP/HMRC or SLC as permanently living overseas.
2. The top 20 countries by graduate population were calculated for the one year after graduation cohort (2020/21 academic year) for the 2022/23 tax year. These countries were used for subsequent analysis to allow for comparison between the remaining tax and academic years.


Industry data - 3 digit SIC level

Filename: industry_3digitSIC.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2022-23
Content summary: Underlying dataset for the industry and subject tables in the industry dashboard, showing the number of graduates and median graduate earnings in each industry up to the 3-digit Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code level.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
count                |  Number of graduates
current_region       |  Current region - Filter by current region of residence
earnings_median      |  Median earnings
ethnicity_major      |  Ethnicity - Filter by Ethnicity
FSM                  |  Free school meal status - Filter by Free school meal status
group_name           |  Industry section group name - Filter by Industry section group of graduate employment (group name)
group_number         |  Industry section group number - Filter by Industry section group of graduate employment (group number)
prior_attainment     |  Prior attainment level - Filter by Prior attainment level
qualification_level  |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
section_name         |  Industry section - Filter by Industry section of graduate employment
sex                  |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
subject_name         |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied
YAG                  |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation


Industry data - 5 digit SIC level

Filename: industry_5digitSIC.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2022-23
Content summary: A more granular breakdown of industry data, showing the number of graduates and median graduate earnings in each industry up to the 5-digit Standard Industry Classification (SIC) code level.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
count                |  Number of graduates
current_region       |  Current region - Filter by current region of residence
earnings_median      |  Median earnings
ethnicity_major      |  Ethnicity - Filter by Ethnicity
FSM                  |  Free school meal status - Filter by Free school meal status
group_name           |  Industry group name - Filter by Industry group of graduate employment (group name)
group_number         |  Industry group number - Filter by Industry group of graduate employment (3-digit SIC group number)
prior_attainment     |  Prior attainment level - Filter by Prior attainment level
qualification_level  |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
section_name         |  Industry section - Filter by Industry section of graduate employment
sex                  |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
sic_name             |  Industry class name - Filter by Industry class of graduate employment (class name)
sic_number           |  Industry class number - Filter by Industry class of graduate employment (5-digit SIC class number)
subject_name         |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied
YAG                  |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation


Industry data - industry flow 1-3 YAG

Filename: industry_flow_1_3_yag.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17
Content summary: Underlying dataset for the industry flow analysis in the industry dashboard, showing movement between industries of graduates from academic year 2016/17 at one and three years after graduation.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
count                |  Number of graduates
industry_1_yag       |  Graduate industry of employment one year after graduation - Filter by Graduate industry of employment one year after graduation
industry_3_yag       |  Graduate industry of employment three year after graduation - Filter by Graduate industry of employment three year after graduation
qualification_level  |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
sex                  |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
subject_name         |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied


Industry data - industry flow 3-5 YAG

Filename: industry_flow_3_5_yag.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016/17
Content summary: Underlying dataset for the industry flow analysis in the industry dashboard, showing movement between industries of graduates from academic year 2016/17 at three and five years after graduation.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
count                |  Number of graduates
industry_3_yag       |  Graduate industry of employment three year after graduation - Filter by Graduate industry of employment three year after graduation
industry_5_yag       |  Graduate industry of employment five year after graduation - Filter by Graduate industry of employment five year after graduation
qualification_level  |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
sex                  |  Graduate sex - Filter by Graduate sex
subject_name         |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied


Industry data  - regional

Filename: industry_regional_map.csv
Geographic levels: Regional
Time period: 2022-23
Content summary: Underlying dataset for the regional analysis in the industry dashboard, showing by industry and subject studied the number of graduates training in and living in each region and median earnings by region.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
difference           |  Difference in number of graduates who studied in and are currently living in the region
difference_prop      |  The difference as a proportion
earnings_median      |  Median earnings of the graduates currently living in the region
living_in_region     |  Number of graduates currently living in region
number_of_providers  |  Number of providers for the combination of subject studied and industry
qualification_level  |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
section_name         |  Industry section - Filter by Industry section of graduate employment
subject_name         |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied
trained_in_region    |  Number of graduates that studied in region
YAG                  |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation


Industry data - regional movement

Filename: industry_regional_movement.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2022-23
Content summary: Underlying dataset for the regional analysis in the industry dashboard, showing by industry and subject studied the movement of graduates from region of Higher Education provider to current region.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name         |  Variable description
--------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
count                 |  Number of graduates
qualification_level   |  Qualification level - Filter by Qualification level
region_name_current   |  Graduates' current reigon of residence - Filter by Graduate current region of residence
region_name_provider  |  Graduates' higher education institution region - Filter by Graduate higher education institution region
section_name          |  Industry section - Filter by Industry section of graduate employment
subject_name          |  Subject studied - Filter by Subject studied
YAG                   |  Years after graduation - Filter by Years after graduation
