§ 68. Mrs. Maureen HicksTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what information he has on the trend for information technology graduates and those with science degrees to take employment in the City rather than in manufacturing industry; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherMy Department regularly receives information on the first employment destinations of UK university graduates from the Department of Education and Science. Whilst many jobs in manufacturing are open to graduates of any discipline, others require specific expertise, graduates in subjects which are less strongly attracted to careers where a general level of academic attainment is required, including some in the financial and commercial sectors. It should be noted that only a small proportion of such jobs are in the City.
The tables illustrate the recent trends in the first employment of engineering and science university graduates:
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1980 1982 1984 1985 11986 Electrical and electronic engineering Manufacturing 78 74 79 77 73 Finance, commerce 1 3 4 4 6 Other 21 22 16 19 21 Source: Universities Statistical Record, First Destinations Survey, annual volumes.
Table 3 Type of work distribution of new .first degree university science graduates entering United Kingdom employment (per cent.) 1980 1982 1984 1985 1986 All Sciences (excludes psychology and geography) Scientific, engineering, technical, computing 60 55 56 55 54 Financial 15 17 18 20 22 Other 26 28 26 25 24 Biological sciences Scientific, engineering, technical, computing 49 45 45 47 45 Financial 10 9 11 12 15 Other 41 45 44 41 40 Physics Scientific, engineering, technical, computing 78 72 75 71 68 Financial 5 9 7 11 13 Other 17 20 17 18 19 Maths, computer studies Scientific, engineering, technical, computing 64 63 62 60 58 Financial 24 25 27 30 31 Other 12 13 11 10 10 Numbers entering employment All sciences 6,082 5,860 7,655 8,020 6,742 Biological sciences 1,486 1,427 1,525 1,643 1,578 Physics 945 946 1,252 1,229 1,097 Maths computer studies 1,721 1,823 2,600 2,659 2,682 1 Changes to the subject classification mean that the 1986 figures are not fully compatible with previous years. Source: Universities Statistical Record, First Destinations Survey, annual Volumes.
Table 4 Sectoral distribution of new, first degree university science graduates entering United Kingdom employment (per cent.) 1980 1982 1984 1985 11986 All science Manufacturing 40 36 38 35 30 Financial, commerce 27 30 33 35 38 Other 33 33 29 30 32 Biological sciences Manufacturing 23 21 21 22 21 Financial, commerce 20 20 23 25 27 Other 56 59 56 53 52 Physics Manufacturing 58 55 58 50 40 Financial, commerce 13 17 18 24 25 Other 29 27 24 27 36 Mathematics, computer studies Manufacturing 38 35 34 31 27 Mechanical engineering 43 47 49 52 54 Electrical, electronic engineering 19 18 17 17 19 Source: Universities Statistical Record, First Destinations Survey, annual volumes.