Nearly 88 per cent of students who graduated from the University of Malta’s Faculty of Arts over the last 10 years went on to find a job, according to a survey.
Only 5.9 per cent of them were unemployed and seeking employment at the time of the survey last year, and most of these had just finished their studies.
As for the rest, 76.7 per cent were in full-time employment and 10.8 per cent were working part-time. The remainder were “inactive”, that is, not employed or seeking employment.
The report, titled Faculty of Arts Graduates 2003-2012: Tracer Study, was published by the arts faculty and is authored by Manwel Debono, director of the University’s Centre for Labour Studies.
The study obtained responses from 1,570 faculty graduates, representing 66 per cent of the target population. Data was collected between October and December 2012.
The study found only few significant differences between male and female graduates, who acquired similar qualification levels and were equally likely to be employed or seeking employment, or holding jobs that matched their expectations.
One main difference found, however, was that males tended to be better represented among senior officials or managers while females tended to be better represented among professionals or clerks.
Levels of job satisfaction varied, but 62.9 per cent of all the graduates felt that their jobs matched their expectations.
There appears to be a correlation between the number of years since a person has graduated and the level of job satisfaction attained, suggesting that fresh graduates who do not find a job that matches their expectations immediately after graduation are likely to succeed later on.
76.7 per cent
The number of Faculty of Arts graduates in full-time employment
Whereas teaching and the public service remain predominant career paths for Faculty of Arts graduates, the range of jobs open to them has widened considerably, both within the public sector and beyond.
Many found work in established service industries such as tourism, heritage, transport, communication and social and health care, while others are developing their careers in emerging sectors such as the environment, diplomacy and finance among others.
Certain jobs have a clear connection with the subjects studied; others not. However, employability and job satisfaction are not inevitably related to the degree of such connection.
The study also found that respondents holding postgraduate qualifications were more likely to be working as professionals, holding jobs that met their expectations, and earning considerably more money than their peers with lower qualifications.
Nearly a quarter of all respondents who obtained postgraduate qualifications appeared to be settled in their work and mostly felt their job matched their expectations.