Ontario’s university graduates outperform the rest of the population in employment outcomes, and are putting the skills they learned in university to work, according to University Works, the 2015 employment report released by the Council of Ontario Universities (COU).

The report finds that university graduates in Ontario have the lowest unemployment rates, the highest employment rates, and the highest lifetime earnings, compared to graduates of other post-secondary programs or high school. It also finds that graduates are using the skills they learned at university, with 86 per cent of recent graduates working at jobs that require those skills.

“We know that many of today’s graduates may go on to have two or three careers and that means the transferable skills they develop in university, such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication, are an important foundation for life-long success,” says Jill Scott, Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning). “That’s why Queen’s has been working to integrate learning outcomes into our curricula at all levels.”

While Queen’s already uses learning outcomes at the course, program and degree levels, a working group is currently in the process of identifying a set of university-wide learning outcomes that reflects the distinctiveness of a Queen’s education.

According to the COU report, three years after graduation the employment rate for university graduates is 91 per cent and the median bachelor degree holder earns 33 per cent more than the median college graduate.

Over the course of a lifetime, the average university graduate will earn $1.1 million more than graduates form other Ontario post-secondary programs, and $1.5 million more than the average Canadian high school graduate.

“Graduates of Ontario universities are enjoying high earnings and strong employment outcomes soon after graduation — and these benefits last a lifetime,” says Bonnie M. Patterson, COU President and CEO. “The statistics clearly show that university is worth the investment.”

The Gazette recently reported that Queen’s graduates thrive in the job market, with 92 per cent of graduates from Queen’s undergraduate programs employed six months after graduation, compared to an average of 87 per cent for Ontario’s universities.

The COU’s University Works report relied on data from Statistics Canada’s Labour Force Survey, National Household Survey, Income Statistics Division and National Occupational Classification for Statistics. It also drew on data form the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities’ Ontario University Graduate Survey and Employment Profile.