The University of Hong Kong

Careers Education and Placement Centre

Where did the 1997 M.S.W. graduates go?

I. Introduction

The information contained in this paper is extracted from the Graduate Employment Survey of 1997 to answer the following questions about Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) graduates : -

How were they employed six months after graduation ?
Of those who were employed full-time, how long did it take them to secure their first job offer ?
In which sectors were they employed ?
How much did they receive in salary ?
How many job offers did they receive ?
Who were their employers and what were their job titles ?

II. Employment Situation in 1997

Out of 18 M.S.W. graduates, all the graduates responded to our survey, representing a response rate of 100%. Of these, 78% (or 14 graduates) were in full-time employment within six months of graduation. 11% (or 2 graduates) were still looking for full-time employment at the time of the survey in December 1997. (Table 1)

	M.S.W.																	HKU Overall
	Total					Male						Female						(Taught Masters)
	‘97		‘96		‘97				‘96		‘97			‘96					‘97			‘96
	No.	%	No.	%			No.	%	No.	%		No.	%		No.	%	No.			%	No.		%
No. of respondents	18	100	16	100			5	100	6	100		13	100		10	100	123			100	98		100
F/T employed	14	77.8	15	93.8			3	60.0	6	100		11	84.6		9	90.0	111			90.2	88		89.8
P/T employed seeking F/T job	0	0	0	0			0	0	0	0		0	0		0	0	0			0	2		2.0
Unemployed seeking F/T job	2	11.1	0	0			1	20.0	0	0		1	7.7		0	0	4			3.3	2		2.0
Further studies	0	0	0	0			0	0	0	0		0	0		0	0	5			4.1	4		4.1
Emigration/home country	0	0	0	0			0	0	0	0		0	0		0	0	0			0	1		1.0
Not seeking F/T job	2	11.1	1	6.3			1	20.0	0	0		1	7.7		1	10.0	3			2.4	1		1.0

Table 1. Employment situation

III. Time Taken to Secure Employment

Among those graduates who were in full-time employment, 86% secured their first job offer before the end of November. The percentage increased to 100% after December. (Figure 1)

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IV. Employment Sectors

71% (or 10 graduates) of the M.S.W. graduates were employed in community, social & personal services, followed by 14% (or 2 graduates) in the civil service. 7.1% (or 1 graduate) each joined the education sector and commerce and industry. (Figures 2 & 3)

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V. Basic Salary and Gross Income

The remuneration received by the 1997 M.S.W. graduates is shown in Table 2.

	Basic Salary				Gross Income
	M.S.W.		HKU Average*		M.S.W.		HKU Average*
	‘97	‘96	‘97	‘96	‘97	‘96	‘97	‘96
Mean	$21,118	$20,469	$22,388	$25,246	$21,259	$20,583	$24,481	$27,483
Median	$21,900	$20,505	$24,000	$24,000	$21,900	$20,505	$25,000	$24,850
Minimum	$11,000	$15,000	$10,000	$10,000	$12,833	$15,000	$10,000	$10,000
Maximum	$29,200	$25,000	$69,000	$70,000	$29,200	$25,000	$86,000	$87,000

Table 2. Basic salary and gross income

* HKU average refers to the income received by taught master graduates.

VI. Number of Full-Time Job Offers

Of those in full-time employment, 50% of the graduates had more than one job offer. 14% reported having received three job offers. On average, each graduate received 1.6 job offers. (Figure 4)

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VII. Names of Employers and Job Titles

The job titles of the M.S.W. graduates in full-time employment and the names of their employers are listed below.

Employers :		Job Titles :
CIVIL SERVICE -
HKSAR - Social Welfare Department		Assistant Social Work Officer
HKSAR - Social Welfare Department		Assistant Social Work Officer

EDUCATION -
The University of Hong Kong		Research Assistant

COMMUNITY, SOCIAL & PERSONAL SERVICES -
Heep Hong Society for the Handicapped Children		Centre-in-charge
Hong Kong Christian Service		Centre-in-charge
Hong Kong Council of Social Service		Project Officer
Hong Kong Lutheran Social Service		Assistant Social Work Officer
Society for Rehabilitation of Offenders		Social Worker
Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care		Programme Secretary
Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care		Programme Secretary
The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association		School Social Worker
The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association		School Social Worker
Yang Methodist Memorial Social Service		Assistant Social Work Officer

COMMERCE & INDUSTRY -
Armitage Computer System Ltd		Programmer

Table 3. 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.

VIII. 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

July, 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