Gap between graduate and postgraduate earnings increases

The gap between the median postgraduate and graduate salaries in the UK has increased to £8,000, according to figures from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The graduate labour market statistics, published by BIS on 9 June, show that postgraduates in the UK were earning a median salary of £39,000 in the first quarter of 2015—an increase of £1,000 on the first quarter of 2014. Conversely, the median salary of full-time employed graduates fell by £500 to £31,000 relative to Q1 2014 levels. 

The statistics also show that both graduate and postgraduate employment rates continue to increase and have now almost returned to the levels seen before the 2008 global financial crisis. Postgraduate employment is, however, increasing more slowly than graduate employment, the data show.