A new report reveals the impact of Covid 19 restrictions on mid-career graduates, the persistence of the gender pay gap, and the potential longer-term implications for the nature of the graduate labour market
- The report captures the impact of the pandemic on a national sample of graduate workers in their early thirties, the majority of whom had by 2019 achieved reasonable job security, and many of whom were balancing work and parenting or other caring roles when the pandemic hit.
- The findings reveal how the pandemic has affected mid-career graduates’ working lives and economic security, reshaped their motivations and aspirations, and affected their mental health.
- Experiences of the pandemic have reinforced existing inequalities in terms of access to secure and enjoyable employment.
- The gender pay gap revealed in this study of mid-career graduates is unchanged from that shown in a study undertaken in 2002.
- Working from home creates new potential for discrimination, particularly in access to training and promotion
- Graduates with confidence in their employer’s concern for the welfare of their staff coped better with the challenges of the pandemic
- These graduates had faced a difficult start to their careers thanks to the 2008 recession, with some still scarred by the experience, but many reported that this had made them more resilient to the challenges of Covid. Their experience has implications for graduates now leaving higher education, and for policymakers and employers.
What a difference a year makes: the impact of Covid 19 on graduate careers, captures the impact of the pandemic on a national sample of graduate workers in their early thirties, the majority of whom had by 2019 achieved reasonable job security, and many of whom were balancing work and parenting or other caring roles before the pandemic hit.
