Producing reliable indicators on graduate employment and earnings that cover the full diversity of graduate profiles still represents a challenge. Data derived from international surveys, like EUOGRADUATE, provide rich information on motivations, job satisfaction and competences, but their coverage is in most cases too small to provide reliable data on employment by field, level and sector.  

To address these issues, the European Higher Education Sector Observatory is conducting a pilot data collection using national administrative sources by combining information on graduates with social security data on their current employment and earnings. These data are used to produce country- and regional level indicators concerning employment and earnings one and five years after graduation (similar to EUOGRADUATE survey timings) broken down by levels of study, field, gender, citizenship and sector of employment.  

The pilot is currently being implemented in five countries within the European Network of Graduate Tracking, i.e. Finland, Ireland, Italy (using survey data), Poland and Sweden. Preliminary results have been discussed in a dedicated seminar in June 2026, where some methodological refinements were agreed, including approximation for the number of graduates that moved outside the country. Preliminary data suggest that this approach might provide fine-grained information on variation of employment and earnings across countries, field of study and sector of employment. 

This pilot activity builds on preliminary discussions of the European Network of Graduate Tracking in previous years. Final results of the pilot will be presented at the Network’s Peer Learning Activity in Dublin in October 2026 and, thereafter, published by EHESO. The report will include recommendations for extending the methodology to additional European countries and future graduate cohorts.