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The census asks a question on the field of study of the highest qualification a person has completed to date.
The social sciences, business and law category was the largest field of study in 2016. In total 372,655 persons in the labour force were qualified in this area and of these 348,592 were at work and stated their highest level of educational attainment.
Table 3.1 shows the top occupations of those with a qualification in social science, business and law classified by level of education. The most common occupation was accountants and taxation experts, 63.5 per cent of whom were qualified to third level. Another notable figure was the barristers and judges with 51.3 per cent having postgraduate qualifications.
| Table 3.1 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Social Sciences, Business and Law, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Chartered and certified accountants and taxation experts | 28,219 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 63.5 | 29.5 |
| Other administrative occupations n.e.c. | 20,748 | 28.8 | 21.7 | 35.4 | 14.2 |
| Book-keepers, payroll managers and wages clerks | 12,329 | 24.4 | 25.2 | 39.7 | 10.7 |
| Sales accounts and business development managers | 11,672 | 6.8 | 9.8 | 46.9 | 36.5 |
| Barristers and judges | 11,344 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 48.3 | 51.3 |
| Other occupations | 264,280 | 16.2 | 15.0 | 43.0 | 25.7 |
For those with a qualification in the area of engineering, manufacturing and construction, over one in four workers (26.9%) held a third level degree qualification (154,167 persons).
The largest occupation among this group was the electricians and electrical fitters, of which 76.0 per cent held a third level non degree qualification.
| Table 3.2 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Electricians and electrical fitters | 10,988 | 20.1 | 76.0 | 3.6 | 0.3 |
| Carpenters and joiners | 9,951 | 41.2 | 56.4 | 2.2 | 0.1 |
| Vehicle technicians, mechanics and electricians | 8,014 | 39.3 | 56.1 | 4.1 | 0.5 |
| Metal working production and maintenance fitters | 7,468 | 22.5 | 62.5 | 13.2 | 1.8 |
| Architects and town planners | 6,839 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 62.0 | 32.4 |
| Other occupations | 165,772 | 26.3 | 31.7 | 30.2 | 11.7 |
The largest occupation with a qualification in the area of health and welfare was nursing and midwives (accounting for 27.6% of workers).
Census results show that 68.5 per cent of medical practitioners were educated to postgraduate level. Just over 84 per cent of nurses and midwives had a third level degree or higher.
| Table 3.3 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Health and Welfare, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Nurses and midwives | 45,236 | 3.6 | 11.5 | 57.4 | 27.4 |
| Care workers and home carers | 16,863 | 52.2 | 13.8 | 30.4 | 3.6 |
| Medical practitioners | 11,925 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 31.5 | 68.5 |
| Childminders and related occupations | 7,871 | 48.7 | 40.9 | 9.1 | 1.4 |
| Nursing auxiliaries and assistants | 6,685 | 68.5 | 15.8 | 12.7 | 3.0 |
| Other occupations | 75,378 | 20.5 | 18.2 | 36.7 | 24.6 |
The most common occupation for those with a qualification in the area of science, mathematics and computing were programmers and software development professionals (12,363 workers). Almost all held third level qualifications while 35.8 per cent (4,420 persons) were educated to postgraduate level.
| Table 3.4 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Science, Mathematics and Computing, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Programmers and software development professionals | 12,363 | 2.5 | 5.4 | 56.3 | 35.8 |
| IT specialist managers | 4,467 | 5.1 | 11.8 | 52.9 | 30.2 |
| Other administrative occupations n.e.c. | 3,996 | 26.8 | 19.3 | 36.3 | 17.6 |
| Information technology and telecommunications professionals n.e.c. | 3,348 | 6.7 | 12.8 | 54.1 | 26.4 |
| IT operations technicians | 2,822 | 12.5 | 18.9 | 48.3 | 20.4 |
| Other occupations | 87,821 | 12.3 | 11.9 | 43.7 | 32.1 |
Among those with a qualification in education, primary and nursery teachers made up the largest occupation group (39.9% of total), followed by secondary teachers at 21.5 per cent.
Both these occupations had a large cohort with a postgraduate qualification, 40.8 per cent for primary teachers and 67.2 per cent for secondary education.
| Table 3.5 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Education, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Primary and nursery education teaching professionals | 35,411 | 0.7 | 4.5 | 54.1 | 40.8 |
| Secondary education teaching professionals | 19,049 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 32.4 | 67.2 |
| Educational support assistants | 5,526 | 43.8 | 33.9 | 17.8 | 4.5 |
| Senior professionals of educational establishments | 3,039 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 39.1 | 60.4 |
| Teaching, special needs, and other educational professionals n.e.c. | 2,362 | 2.5 | 6.0 | 38.8 | 52.7 |
| Other occupations | 23,273 | 14.1 | 19.3 | 35.6 | 31.0 |
Over half (52.3%) of those with a qualification in agriculture and veterinary were working as farmers. Most (69.1%) were educated to upper secondary only. The share of veterinarians with third level degree and postgraduate qualifications were 78 per cent and 22 per cent respectively.
| Table 3.6 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Agriculture and Veterinary, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Farmers | 30,440 | 69.1 | 25.9 | 4.4 | 0.6 |
| Veterinarians | 1,725 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 78.0 | 22.0 |
| Gardeners and landscape gardeners | 1,256 | 30.9 | 29.3 | 37.5 | 2.3 |
| Farm workers | 1,091 | 49.9 | 39.0 | 9.6 | 1.6 |
| Sales and retail assistants, cashiers and checkout operators | 1,000 | 45.2 | 30.4 | 21.2 | 3.2 |
| Other occupations | 22,705 | 39.1 | 29.2 | 24.3 | 7.4 |
Graphic designers were the top occupation for those with an arts qualification, the majority of whom (67.6%) held a third level degree. Almost 50 per cent of the 2,511 persons working as retail assistants who held an arts qualification were educated to degree level.
| Table 3.7 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Arts, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Graphic designers | 3,638 | 8.8 | 12.5 | 67.6 | 11.1 |
| Sales and retail assistants, cashiers and checkout operators | 2,511 | 30.7 | 22.7 | 41.8 | 4.7 |
| Actors, entertainers and presenters | 2,047 | 20.4 | 12.8 | 39.5 | 27.3 |
| Teaching, special needs, and other educational professionals n.e.c. | 1,683 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 47.7 | 35.1 |
| Artists | 1,656 | 8.8 | 9.9 | 58.0 | 23.3 |
| Other occupations | 31,738 | 19.4 | 20.6 | 42.8 | 17.2 |
Secondary school teaching was the top occupation for those with a qualification in humanities with 3,024 persons, almost all of whom held a third level degree. Among those working in the category of sales, retail assistants, cashiers and checkout operators 84.2 per cent held a third level or postgraduate qualification.
| Table 3.8 Top occupations of persons at work with qualifications in Humanities, 2016 | |||||
| All | Up to & including secondary % | Third level non degree % | Third level degree % | Postgraduate % | |
| Secondary education teaching professionals | 3,024 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 32.2 | 67.5 |
| Other administrative occupations n.e.c. | 2,373 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 60.6 | 30.8 |
| Clergy | 2,308 | 3.3 | 6.7 | 48.6 | 41.4 |
| Further and higher education teaching professionals | 1,529 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 6.5 | 93.3 |
| Sales and retail assistants, cashiers and checkout operators | 1,337 | 9.3 | 6.6 | 66.6 | 17.6 |
| Other occupations | 29,173 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 59.0 | 31.6 |
When examined by economic status those with a qualification in arts had the highest unemployment rate in 2016 of 11.6 per cent (compared to 17.1% in 2011).
Of the broad fields of study listed in Figure 3.1, the unemployment rate fell the most between 2011 and 2016 for engineering, manufacturing and construction, from 15.7 per cent to 6.0 per cent over the five years.
The broad field of study with the lowest unemployment rate in 2016 was education at 3.1 per cent.
| 2016 | 2011 | |
| Arts | 11.6 | 17.1 |
| Humanities | 8.2 | 10.5 |
| Services (incl. other subjects) | 7 | 11.2 |
| Science, Mathematics and Computing | 6 | 8.2 |
| Engineering, Manufacturing and Construction | 6 | 15.7 |
| Social sciences, Business and Law | 5.1 | 7.6 |
| Agriculture and Veterinary | 4.2 | 6.6 |
| Health and Welfare | 3.7 | 4.4 |
| Education | 3.1 | 4.2 |
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