STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) are increasingly attracting more students in the field of higher education. 25% of the students who start a higher degree already do so in the field of STEM. Of this percentage and, although there are gender differences, 33% are women who start a degree, 39% those who start a master’s degree and 41% those who enter a doctorate related to these subjects. In addition, higher education graduates in the STEM field have higher employment rates than in other areas of knowledge, particularly in the field of information and communication technologies, where the employment rate is 88%. in Spain, 90% in the OECD and 91% in the European Union (the 22 countries that belong to the OECD).
These are some of the conclusions of the report ‘Education Landscape: OECD Indicators 2022’. Prepared by the National Institute for Educational Evaluation of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, it is based on the report ‘Education at a Glance 2022’ that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) prepares each year. This edition, the report focuses on tertiary or higher education (Higher Vocational Training and university studies).
60.5% of young people with university studies are women
Almost half of Spaniards between the ages of 25 and 34 have a higher education degree and this expansion has particularly benefited women in all OECD countries. In the case of Spain, 60.5% of young people with university studies are women, a figure also higher than the average for the OECD (56.6%) and the EU22 (57.7%). By fields of higher education, the most common among the Spanish adult population is business sciences, administration and law (28%), followed by engineering, industrial production and construction (15%), and health and well-being (13%). .
With regard to the degree completion rate, in Spain 71% of students starting a degree have graduated at that level in the three years after the theoretical duration of the program, above the OECD average, which is at 65%. On the other hand, and while the percentage of graduates in higher education increases, the percentage of those who leave their studies with a maximum level of Compulsory Secondary Education (ESO) decreases. In 2021, the percentage of young people who only had basic studies was 27.7%. This represents a significant improvement compared to 2011, when this percentage stood at 34.6%, almost 7 points of difference, although the figures are still far from the OECD average (14.1%) and the EU 22 average (11.8%). .
The higher the educational level, the more and better employment
The report also analyzes the relationship between educational level and work. The employment rates of young people increase as their level of training increases: 78% of young people with tertiary studies have a job in Spain, 20 percentage points above those who have ESO as their highest qualification (only 59% of they get a job). In the OECD and the EU22 these differences in the rates of access to employment are similar (84% compared to 58% of those with the highest ESO qualification in the OECD and 85% compared to 56% in the EU22).
In addition, the higher the educational level, the higher the remuneration. The Spanish population with higher education earns 41% more than graduates of the second stage of secondary school. These in turn earn 19% more than those who have only completed basic education. The gender gap also exists in this area: in Spain, women with a higher level of education earn 81% of the salary of men with the same educational level. In the OECD women earn 77% and in the EU22 76%. On the other hand, 35.3% of upper secondary qualifications in Spain are obtained in Vocational Training, below the average for OECD countries (37.3%) and the EU22 (43.7%). You can see the full report here.
