Ontario University Grads Still Finding Jobs

University graduates are prepared for the changing job market.

Despite a slow-to-recover economy, Ontario’s university graduates are still finding jobs after they graduate. Over 80 per cent are finding work reasonably quickly, according to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and conducted by CCI Research Inc.

“The results of this survey illustrate that Ontario university graduates possess the education and skills that employers are looking for,” said Alastair Summerlee, Chair of the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) and President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guelph.

The numbers show that of the students who graduated in 2009, in the midst of the recession, 87.5 per cent found employment within six months of graduation. The numbers also showed that 93.1 per cent were employed within two years.

These numbers are slightly better than the graduating class from the previous year. The 2008-2009 graduates had an employment rate of 84.8 per cent one year after graduation.

“Our graduates are prepared for the changing job market, and thanks to a university environment that fosters entrepreneurship, many are creating their own job opportunities,” said Summerlee.

Six months after graduation, the average annual salary for graduates of undergraduate degree programs was $42,403, rising to $49,151 just two years after graduation.