Employment rate of VET graduates varies by type of qualification, field of education and age of students – employment improves as time passes from graduation

The employment rates of holders of a further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification are good, but the employment rate of holders of initial vocational qualification is lower and varies considerably between fields of education. Employment also varies according to age. Especially among younger holders of an initial vocational qualification, the employment rate is initially low, but the difference balances out as time passes from graduation. 

The recent overview by the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) examines the employment, unemployment and other placement one year and five years after graduation of vocational education and training (VET) graduates. The overview is based on placement data from 2009–2021 obtained from Vipunen, the Finnish National Agency for Education's statistics service, and examines placement in relation to field of education, qualification completion method, the age and mother tongue of graduates and factors related to the education provider. The overview also describes employment and unemployment rates in Finland in relation to the international situation. The overview is part of an evaluation being carried out in 2024–2025 that examines how the opportunities for finding employment can be supported during education and what kind of development measures are required in VET to promote employment, among other things. 

Employment of holders of an initial vocational qualification highest in the health and well-being sector, lowest in ICT, natural sciences and the humanities and arts

The Government Programme of Prime Minister Orpo's Government has highlighted the concern that more than one in ten holders of an initial vocational qualification remain unemployed after graduation. In recent years, efforts have been made to promote the employment of VET graduates through various educational policy measures. 

Based on placement statistics from 2009–2021, the employment rate of holders of a further vocational qualification was approximately 80% and the employment rate of holders of a specialist vocational qualification was over 90% both one year and five years after graduation. In contrast, the average employment rate of holders of an initial vocational qualification was 64% one year after graduation, while the average unemployment rate was 17%. Five years after graduation, the average employment rate of this group was 74% and the average unemployment rate was 11%. The employment rate has been increasing and the unemployment rate has been decreasing steadily since 2015, except during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Employment and unemployment varied between fields of education, and there were also differences within fields of education. The fields of education where employment rates were highest both one and five years after graduation were health and well-being; business and administration; and services. The fields of education where employment rates were lowest were information and communication technology (ICT); natural sciences; and the humanities and arts. The fields of education where the numbers of both employed and unemployed holders of an initial vocational qualification were highest were engineering and technology.

Employment also varied according to age, with the employment rate of younger holders of an initial vocational qualification one year after graduation being notably lower than that of older ones. It should be noted, however, that young people continue their studies more often than older people or complete military or non-military service after their studies. Five years after graduation, the employment rate hardly varied according to age. 

Differences in placement between fields of education were clearly smaller among holders of a further vocational qualification or specialist vocational qualification than among holders of an initial vocational qualification. That being said, holders of a further vocational qualification had the lowest employment rates both one and five years after graduation in the same fields as holders of an initial vocational qualification.

Upcoming evaluation to look for ways to promote the employment of VET graduates

One of the key purposes of education is to respond to the competence needs of employers and society and to provide students with the competence and skills needed to transition to working life, find employment and maintain and develop professional skills and careers. On the basis of the current situational picture, FINEEC will be carrying out an evaluation project during this and next year that will examine how the opportunities for finding employment can be supported during education and what kind of development measures are required in VET to promote employment, among other things. In addition to this, the evaluation will aim to identify good practices for promoting employment both nationally and internationally.

Publication:

• Raisa Hievanen, Jani Goman, Kirsi Hiltunen & Veera Hakamäki-Stylman: Overview of the employment of VET graduates. Publication 16:2024, Finnish Education Evaluation Centre.