An Edulog study concluded that the scientific field of the course is more determinant than the type of higher education institution to avoid unemployment and secure quality employment in Portugal. The research analyzed graduates who completed courses in 2016/17 and 2020/21, evaluating dimensions such as unemployment, salaries, contract stability, professional satisfaction, overqualification and fit between education and employment.
The results show that those graduated in Arts, Psychology, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Statistics, Humanities and Languages present lower probability of unemployment than graduates in Engineering, Manufacturing Industries and Construction. However, the fields of Information and Communication Technologies and Engineering offer better salaries and greater professional satisfaction, while Arts, Humanities, Well-being and Services present less favorable results. The study also identifies serious overqualification problems, affecting 50% of graduates in Humanities and Services and 46.3% of those graduated in Arts.
The coordinator of the study, Ricardo Biscaia, recommends greater availability of information to students and families about the professional outcomes of different courses, including data on salaries, contract stability, satisfaction and fit between education and work. The researchers warn that the data currently available in Infocursos may not fully reflect the situation of graduates, since the unemployment indicator does not include inactive people or those not registered in employment centers.
