§ Mr. LlwydTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of graduates were claiming unemployment benefit a year after completing their university courses in each of the past five years in England. [134906]
§ Mr. WicksThe information is not held centrally. The latest available data on the unemployment rates of newly qualified graduates, which show the position six months after graduation, are given in the table.
498W
Destinations of full-time first degree graduates from higher education institutions in England six months after graduation of which, those who were unemployed1 year of graduation Total graduates with known destination Number Percentage 1994–95 136,455 12,514 9.2 1995–96 145,930 11,784 8.1 1996–97 146,486 10,137 6.9 1997–98 147,888 8.570 5.8 1998–99 152,404 8,426 5.5 1The data do not indicate whether these graduates were claiming unemployment benefit or not.