Earnings of Grads by detailed fields prior to COVID-19 in Canada – Three new studies

The COVID-19 lockdown has resulted in record youth unemployment rates, which could adversely affect postsecondary graduates for years to come. Although it is too early to know which graduates will be worst hit, students entering college or university and having to select a program might benefit from knowing how well graduates from specific academic disciplines fared in the labour market prior to the pandemic.

Three new studies shed light on this important issue. They provide a snapshot of the labour market success of bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral graduates from detailed programs. Individuals graduated between 2010 and 2012, and their median annual earnings are reported five years after graduation (after adjusting for differences in age, institution, and year of graduation). Individuals with no earnings are included in the studies. In total, these gender-based studies include results for men in 118 bachelor’s degree programs and women in 123 programs; men in 77 master’s degree programs and women in 95 programs; and men in 29 doctoral degree programs and women in 22 programs.

The studies reveal many interesting findings. For example, they show that most top-earners among bachelor’s degree graduates came from various engineering specialties: 6 of the top 10 disciplines among men, and 7 of the top 10 disciplines among women were in engineering.

Chosen excerpts by Job Market Monitor. Read the whole story @ The Daily — Study: Earnings of degree graduates by detailed fields of study prior to COVID-19