Data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency shows that only 62 per cent of law graduates have secured employment in a professional occupation six months after completing their degree, while 33 per cent of employed law grads have non-professional roles such as administration, secretarial services or sales. A further 10 per cent of law graduates are unemployed six months after completing their degree. The rate of professional employment is considerably lower than the 71 per cent average for students across all disciplines, and a fair drop below fields like engineering, computer science and technology wherein more than 80 per cent of grads have found professional roles within six months of graduating.
Salaries below average
Though improving, average salaries for new law graduates are also considerably lower than some of those in other fields. According to the HESA data, the average annual salary for a student who completed their law degree in 2014/15 was £21,000, up £1,000 per year from the first-year salaries of 2013/14 graduates. However, the average pay packet is notably lighter than the £22,500 average salary across all disciplines, well behind the £24,000 for ‘social studies’ graduates and a fair cry away from the £29,500 average annual salary enjoyed by first-year dentistry and medicine grads, who are the biggest earners on average.
Sources: Law Gazette; HESA
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