THOUSANDS of students across the UK will be opening their A-level and SQA results today with decisions to be made on what to do next.
For many, university will be the aim despite warnings from Ucas that it is likely to be “more competitive” as the number of courses available could be reduced.
Students in England, Wales and Scotland have seen exams cancelled for a second year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
A lot of kids will already have a good idea of their results having received provisional grades already.
As is always the case on results day, students will have a big decision to make in terms of where and what they would like to study.
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To help make the decision slightly easier, consumer spending experts at money.co.uk were keen to understand how higher education qualifications impact a graduates' long-term employability and earning potential.
By analysing over one million job adverts from 2019 to 2020, the consumer experts have compiled a list of the 20 most sought-after degrees by employers and how demand has increased or decreased following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Engineering tops the list of the most marketable degrees you can have right now, with business, finance and construction among the top 20.
Danny Aldridge, co-founder of recruitment website Check-a-Salary commented on the findings.
He said: "The increase in demand for IT and Mathematical related degrees emphasises the importance of the sector to the UK.
"The varying levels of pay depending on degree highlights to school leavers the significance they need to place on their degree choice.
"Studying a STEM subject is likely to lead to higher levels of pay throughout a career."
What are the UK’s 20 most in demand degrees?
- Engineering: 76,838 job adverts
- Business: 36,906 job adverts
- Management: 32,546 job adverts
- Design: 17,846 job adverts
- Marketing: 16,872 job adverts
- Computer Science: 16,442 job adverts
- Construction: 11,580 job adverts
- Computer Engineering: 9,674 job adverts
- Software Engineering: 9,556 job adverts
- Finance: 7,638 job adverts
- Care: 7,290 job adverts
- Accounting: 7,282 job adverts
- Law: 6,756 job adverts
- Systems Engineering: 6,032 job adverts
- Data Science: 5,666 job adverts
- Computer Systems: 5,304 job adverts
- Information Systems: 5,142 job adverts
- Computer Information Systems: 4,870 job adverts
- Computer Systems Engineering: 4,814 job adverts
- Chemistry: 3,918 job adverts
Changing demand since before the pandemic
Further research highlights the number of overall jobs listed requiring a degree in 2020 dropped by 34 per cent year-on-year.
Money.co.uk analysed 2019 and 2020 job listings to reveal which degrees increased in demand last year and which saw a decline.
The degrees that have increased in demand the most since 2019
- Computer Systems Engineering (+3,067 per cent)
- Computer Information Systems (+2,636 per cent)
- Information Systems (+626 per cent)
- Computer Forensics (+613 per cent)
- Television Production (+600 per cent)
The degrees that have decreased the most since 2019
- Petroleum Engineering (-96.7 per cent)
- Aerospace Systems (-96.6 per cent)
- Hospitality Business Management (-96.6 per cent)
- Motion Graphics (-96.0 per cent)
- Sports Technology (-95.5 per cent)
Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk said: "Choosing a degree subject to study at university can be one of the most difficult and important educational decisions anyone can make.
"As tuition fees in England can cost up to £9,250 a year, it’s understandable that many people are keen to know if studying a particular degree is worth their time and money.
"Although the long-term salary implications of undertaking a higher education qualification are important, it’s also key to remember that a degree usually lasts several years, and therefore choosing a subject you enjoy and find interesting should be central to your decision.
"No matter what degree you choose, university is expensive so it’s worth getting your finances in order beforehand and potentially putting some money aside to cover any unexpected living costs."
To find out more, you can find the full study here.
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