The bar charts illustrate the destinations of UK graduates and postgraduates who did not enter full-time employment after leaving college in 2008. The data are divided into four categories: part-time work, voluntary work, further study, and unemployment.
Overall, further study was the most common choice for both graduates and postgraduates, whereas voluntary work was by far the least popular option. In addition, the number of graduates in each category was significantly higher than that of postgraduates.
Among graduates, nearly 30,000 students (29,665) continued their education, making this the dominant destination. Part-time employment was the second most frequent outcome, accounting for 17,735 individuals. A slightly smaller number, 16,235 graduates, were unemployed. By contrast, only 3,500 graduates chose voluntary work, representing a very small minority compared with the other categories.
A similar pattern can be observed among postgraduates, although the figures were considerably lower overall. Further study again ranked first, followed by part-time work and unemployment, while voluntary work attracted the fewest participants. The gap between further study and voluntary work remained substantial, highlighting a clear preference for academic progression over unpaid activities.
In summary, continuing education was the predominant pathway for both groups in 2008, while voluntary work was relatively uncommon, and the overall trends for graduates and postgraduates were broadly comparable despite differences in scale.