"A more favourable situation for Master's graduates on the labour market" is the title of an Information Note published by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. According to this study, among the students who entered the workforce in 2016, more than 9 out of 10 were employed between 18 and 30 months after graduation.
In 2016, 109,500 students graduated with a master's degree from university. While 35% of these graduates continued or resumed their studies within 30 months, the remaining students chose to enter the workforce. Over this period, the integration rate of graduates thus stands at 92%, a "level that has never been reached before", the ministry points out.
Variable integration time depending on the course of study
The speed of entry into the labour market "fluctuates depending on the disciplinary field," the briefing note states. Graduates in law-economics/management are the quickest to find a job at 18 months (for 91% of them). They are followed by students in science-technology-health, 88% of whom also find a job within this 18-month period. On the other hand, students who have followed a training course in literature-language-arts arrive in working life over a longer period (between 18 and 30 months).
Better employment conditions
Together with a better integration rate, employment conditions are also improving. According to the study, "the stable employment rate of master's graduates increases by 13 points between 18 and 30 months and stands at 77% on 1 December 2018". Similarly, "nine of the jobs held over ten to 30 months are at managerial or intermediate level and 95% are full-time". According to the field of master's specialties, the Ministry notes, however, that graduates do not benefit from "the same opportunities and the same conditions of employment".
An improvement in salaries and the match between studies and jobs
The same variation was observed for remuneration according to the speciality of the master's degree. Indeed, continues the information note, while the median monthly net salary in employment is 2,000 euros, it varies greatly according to the disciplinary field. This improvement in salaries goes hand in hand with a better match between graduates' expectations and their professional life, since a majority of them believe that their job is in line with their level of education (81%) and/or with the field of specialization of the degree obtained (82%).
