The employment rate of higher education graduates five years after graduation stands at 93%, according to findings from the second cycle of the National Higher Education Graduate Tracking Survey (CYGraduates), presented on Monday by the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athina Michaelidou, during a press conference.

The results document graduates’ experiences regarding higher education attendance, their transition and participation in the labor market, as well as indicators of mismatch between their studies and professional employment.

According to the findings, graduates reported high levels of satisfaction with their higher education studies. A high employability rate of 87% is already recorded within the first year after graduation. However, the survey highlights a significant skills mismatch between qualifications and job positions. Nevertheless, considerable rates of full-time and stable employment are reported.

The survey also highlights the need for targeted interventions to upgrade graduates’ skills during employment and to strengthen the link between higher education and the labor market.

According to a Ministry announcement, the CYGraduates survey acts as a dynamic mechanism for collecting and analyzing data, providing scientific evidence on an ongoing basis to policymakers and higher education institutions. Based on the survey results, higher education institutions will be able to revise the content and delivery of existing study programs so that graduates possess the knowledge and skills demanded by the labor market.

Additionally, they will be able to design new study programs, as well as more flexible program formats (such as micro-credentials). Various policy actors will have access to the necessary data for making evidence-based decisions and developing policies, for example, in the design and expansion of lifelong learning programs related to reskilling, upskilling, and the provision of targeted career counseling and professional guidance.

The survey is being conducted within the framework of the Directorate of Higher Education project “Development of a National Graduate Tracking Mechanism and Design and Implementation of an Employers’ Skills Survey,” which forms part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan of the Republic of Cyprus. The project, currently in an advanced stage of implementation, has been undertaken by PWC Cyprus following a public tender on the eProcurement contracting system.