Economics graduates have a wide variety of careers options. The skills we strive to teach you throughout your Economics degree are highly sought after: you gain the ability to solve problems, analyse complex issues including complex data, and to communicate these to non-economists.
Employment prospects
Our graduates have very good prospects, and do well when compared with national averages. A Guardian article (26 June 2010) based on data from students graduating in 2008 from all UK universities, showed that the unemployment rate among all Economics students was 8.8 per cent. Our 2008 graduates had an unemployment rate of just 4.1 per cent.
Where our graduates work
Economics graduates often work within the following sectors:
- accountancy
- banking, finance and related professions with firms such as Deloitte, Baker Tilly, RBS, Lloyds TSB and Grant Thornton
- Government Economics Service
- Government departments and ministries
- law
- management
- economics consultancy and analysis
- charitable organisations
- the Foreign Service
- journalism
- marketing.
A lot of our students have a passion for international development, and many of our graduates are involved with development organisations. Several have started their own development projects in developing countries, and some have joined NGOs such as Save the Children and Five Talents (recently profiled on the BBC Lifeline Appeal).
Annual careers party
We hold an annual careers party, inviting graduates in a wide range of careers to return to Sussex and share their experience and advice with current students.
Further study
A quarter of our graduates from 2008 went on to do further study: courses range widely from MSc degrees in Economics, Finance and Management at LSE, Warwick, Oxford, Imperial and other top universities, MSc degrees in other subjects such Politics, Development Studies and Environmental Studies, and postgraduate teacher training.
Economics careers resources at Sussex
We help you prepare for the world beyond Sussex in a number of ways. We run a very popular careers 'speed-dating' event, when recent graduates are invited back to 'date' current students and pass on information about how they made the transition to work or postgraduate study. We also have a new resource that helps you to identify the skills you have acquired on your degree so you can prepare applications. Your personal tutor can give advice on applications too, and the Careers and Employability Centre runs events throughout the year: workshops on presentation skills and CV writing, talks from graduate employers, and they will even hold mock interviews.
Further information
For information about careers events and resources available to Economics students at Sussex, refer to Economics Careers Resources [PDF 78.58KB]