Band 7+: The charts below show the qualifications of staff in an advertising company in 1990 and 2010. Provide an overview of the information by identifying and describing the key details, and include comparisons where appropriate.

The pie charts illustrate the educational qualifications of employees in an advertising company in the years 1990 and 2010.

Overall, the proportions of staff holding PhDs in both Science and Art, as well as Master’s degrees in Art, increased over the period, while the percentages of those with First Degrees in both disciplines declined. Only the percentage of employees with a Master’s degree in Science remained unchanged. Notably, the PhD in Science became the most common qualification by 2010, overtaking the Master’s in Science.

In 1990, Master’s degree holders in Science and Art made up exactly half of the company’s staff, at 29% and 21% respectively. Additionally, First Degree holders in Science and Art constituted 20% and 15%, making up over a third of the workforce combined. PhD holders in Science accounted for 12%, whereas those with a PhD in Art represented the smallest proportion, at just 2%.

By 2010, the share of staff with a PhD in Science had risen significantly to 30%, surpassing the previously dominant Master’s in Science, which remained constant at 29%. There were also moderate increases in the percentages of PhD in Art and Master’s in Art holders, which together reached a combined 52% of all qualifications. Meanwhile, the figures for First Degree holders fell to 11% for Science and 9% for Art.