I.
IntroductionThe information contained in this paper is extracted from the Graduate Employment Survey of 1997 to answer the following questions about English majors : -
II. Employment Situation in 1997
Of the 148 respondents who reported to major in English, 87% (or 128 graduates) were in full-time employment within six months of graduation. 4.8% (or 7 graduates) were still looking for full-time employment at the time of the survey. 7.4% (or 11 graduates) went on for further studies. (Table 1)
English |
HKU Overall* |
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Total |
Male |
Female |
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‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
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No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
No. |
% |
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| No. of respondents | 148 |
100 |
102 |
100 |
13 |
100 |
5 |
100 |
135 |
100 |
97 |
100 |
2272 |
100 |
2139 |
100 |
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| F/T employed | 128 |
86.5 |
88 |
86.3 |
11 |
84.6 |
3 |
60.0 |
117 |
86.7 |
85 |
87.6 |
1829 |
80.5 |
1743 |
81.5 |
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| P/T employed seeking F/T job | 1 |
0.7 |
2 |
2.0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
20.0 |
1 |
0.7 |
1 |
1.0 |
37 |
1.6 |
34 |
1.6 |
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| Unemployed seeking F/T job | 6 |
4.1 |
5 |
4.9 |
1 |
7.7 |
1 |
20.0 |
5 |
3.7 |
4 |
4.1 |
53 |
2.3 |
34 |
1.6 |
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| Further studies | 11 |
7.4 |
7 |
6.9 |
1 |
7.7 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
7.4 |
7 |
7.2 |
339 |
14.9 |
314 |
14.7 |
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| Emigration/home country | 1 |
0.7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.7 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0.2 |
6 |
0.28 |
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| Not seeking F/T job | 1 |
0.7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0.7 |
0 |
0 |
10 |
0.4 |
8 |
0.4 |
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Table 1. Employment situation
* HKU overall refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B.,B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
III. Further Studies
Six graduates were enrolled in local tertiary institutions, while five graduates studied abroad in U.K., Japan and U.S.A. Of these, six graduates pursued postgraduate studies in the same discipline, while two graduates studied business administration and one graduate studied education. Table 2 shows the academic programmes English graduates were engaged in and Table 3 shows the source of finance.
Academic Programmes |
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| Fields of Study | M.Phil. |
Master (Coursework) |
Postgraduate Certificate |
| Arts | 4 |
1 |
1 |
| Business Administration | 2 |
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| Education | 1 |
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No Response = 2
Table 2. Academic programmes
| Source of Finance | No. of Graduates |
| Own Fund | 4 |
| Teaching Assistantship/Studentship | 3 |
| Full Scholarship | 2 |
| Scholarship & Own Fund | 1 |
| Government Grant & Loan | 1 |
Table 3. Source of finance for further studies
IV. Time Taken to Secure Employment
Among those graduates who were in full-time employment, 80% secured their first job offer before the end of August. The percentage increased to 100% after December 1997. (Figure 1)
V. Employment Sectors
60% (or 77 graduates) of the English graduates were employed in commerce and industry, followed by 26% (or 33 graduates) in the education sector and 12% (or 15 graduates) in the civil service. The remaining 2.3% (or 3 graduates) joined community, social and personal services. (Figures 2 & 3)
VI. Basic Salary and Gross Income
The remuneration received by the 1997 English graduates is shown in Table 4.
Basic Salary |
Gross Income |
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English |
HKU Average* |
English |
HKU Average* |
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‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
‘97 |
‘96 |
|
| Mean | $14,217 |
$14,013 |
$15,749 |
$14,457 |
$15,266 |
$14,960 |
$17,552 |
$15,902 |
| Median | $12,000 |
$11,845 |
$12,500 |
$12,000 |
$14,000 |
$14,333 |
$14,521 |
$13,542 |
| Minimum | $5,000 |
$5,000 |
$4,400 |
$3,000 |
$5,000 |
$8,500 |
$5,000 |
$5,500 |
| Maximum | $28,910 |
$27,000 |
$59,000 |
$55,000 |
$28,910 |
$27,000 |
$74,000 |
$60,000 |
Table 4. Basic salary and gross income
* HKU average refers to the figure for the total HKU population and includes M.B.,B.S. and B.D.S. graduates.
VII. Number of Full-Time Job Offers
65% of the English graduates in full-time employment had more than one job offer. 41% reported having received three to eight or more job offers. (Figure 4)
VIII. Names of Employers and Job Titles
The job titles of the English graduates in full-time employment and the names of their employers are listed below.
Employers : |
Job Titles : |
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| CIVIL SERVICE - | |||
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| EDUCATION - | |||
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| COMMUNITY, SOCIAL AND PERSONAL SERVICES - | |||
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| COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY- | |||
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No Response = 15
Table 5. List of employers and job titles
Note : Some alumni have indicated willingness to talk to individual students about their work. Their contact telephone number can be obtained from counsellors at CEPC.
IX.
Similar information on graduates from other disciplines of study are available for reference in the Careers Library. Please enquire with the CEPC.
Careers Education and Placement Centre
3/F Wong Chuang Lai Wah Building
Meng Wah Complex
The University of Hong Kong
Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
Telephone : 2859 2314
Fax : (852) 2559 5238
E-Mail : CEPC@HKUCC.HKU.HK
Homepage : http://www.hku.hk/cepc
Opening Hours : Monday - Friday (9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
Saturday (9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.)
Margaret Lee
Nelson Yip
June, 1998
The analysis is based on information provided by the respondents, and the Careers Education & Placement Centre should not be held responsible for any errors arising therefrom.
No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by whatever means,
without written permission from the Director of the Careers Education and Placement Centre,
The University of Hong Kong