Level of education and field of study

Success in the labour market is strongly influenced by two key variables: the type of qualification earned and the field of study. Generally, more advanced educational qualifications lead to more successful transitions. An examination of four labour force status indicators revealed that graduates at the doctorate level had the most successful transition, experiencing the shortest periods of unemployment and the highest level of full-time work. Trade or vocational school graduates faced the most difficult transitions, with the highest level of unemployment and the lowest level of full-time work. College graduates experienced less unemployment than those with bachelor's degrees.

For those who were forced to accept part-time work because no full-time jobs were available, part-time work indicated a failure to make a successful transition. In 1988, a substantial proportion of 1986 graduates working part-time were doing so because they could not find full-time employment; about half of trade or vocational (53%) and college (46%) graduates and 37% of university graduates accepted part-time employment because they could not find full-time work. Again, those with advanced qualifications were less likely to experience this problem.

Job prospects were better in certain fields: graduates from the more applied disciplines, such as commerce, education, health, and engineering, experienced lower rates of unemployment compared with graduates in general arts and science, humanities, fine and applied arts, and the social sciences.

Unemployment during the transition period

An alternative method of judging the success of the transition process is to determine the proportion of graduates who experienced unemployment during the transition period and its extent. More advanced degree holders experienced less unemployment. During the transition period, trade or vocational school graduates averaged the longest period of unemployment (6.9 months); for other graduates, the period ranged from 4.8 months for college graduates to 5.4 months for those with doctorates.