Early Learning Care Graduate Outcomes 2013-2017

The weekly earnings of graduates after qualification are analysed in this chapter by sector, NFQ level and years since graduation. Weekly earnings for each graduate are calculated using the number of weeks worked and income earned from each employer. The hourly earnings and number of hours worked is not available in the administrative data. In cases where a graduate has more than one employer within a single year, the weekly earnings is based on the employment with the 'main employer' only, where the main employer is the one from which the graduate received the most income for that particular year. Only graduates who meet the criteria for 'substantial employment' are included in earnings statistics (this covers those in substantial employment only and substantial employment and education as defined in chapter 2). Graduates who are in the Other Employment Sectors, (i.e. not working in the ELC Sector or Non-ELC Health & Education) are not included in this chapter after Figure 4.3 to allow for a clearer view of graduate earnings in ELC.

Only income through the PAYE system is included in this analysis - income from self-employment activities registered through the self-assessment system is excluded here. Future analysis on earnings will be enhanced by PAYE Modernisation which will allow close to real-time analysis. Median values for earnings are presented in each case and all values are rounded to the nearest €5. All earnings relate to gross pay and are adjusted for inflation using the 'Consumer Price Index' (base = December 2016).

Median earnings of €340 per week for 2017 graduates

Median weekly earnings among all graduates from ELC courses in their first year after graduation grew from €285 in 2013 to €340 in 2017, an increase of €55 (or 19%) over the five-year period.

The graduates in 2017 with the highest median for weekly earnings one year after graduation were those working in Non-ELC Health & Education at €360, followed by those working in the ELC Sector at €345. The lowest median value for weekly earnings in 2017 was €305 for those working in Other Employment Sectors.

Interactive table: PxStat Link ELA04

Earnings distribution of 2017 graduates in the year after graduation

The distribution in the weekly earnings for 2017 graduates in the first year after graduation are shown by the blue columns in figure 4.2. While the median earnings for this group were €340 per week, there was substantial variation among those graduates in substantial employment. A quarter of graduates earned €235 per week or less, with a peak in the distribution visible at €200-220. Many of these are likely to be working part-time in the ELC sector, as a 40 hour week on the minimum wage in 2018 would amount to approximately €380. There is a second peak in the distribution between €360 and €400 per week. The upper quartile for weekly earnings was €420. 

This data relates to earnings for the main employer of each graduate only. As was seen in the previous chapter, however, many graduates had more than one job over the course of the year. The green line in figure 4.2 shows the proportion of graduates within each earnings interval who had more than one job. This proportion is slightly higher among lower earners, with more than 30% of graduates recorded as having more than one job among almost all earnings intervals below €400 per week. 

Also included in this graph is the proportion of graduates across each earnings interval who had a record of receiving a jobseekers allowance or jobseekers benefit within the year. This proportion is distinctly higher among lower earners, varying between 30 and 40 percent for most earnings intervals below €300 per week, whereas for the intervals in excess of €400 per week we can see that this proportion rarely rise above 20%. 

Graduate earnings rose to €370 per week after three years

Median weekly earnings for 2015 ELC graduates one year after graduation were €320, rising to €370 after three years, an increase of 16%.

The highest median weekly earnings one year after graduation were €325 for those working in the ELC Sector, while the lowest was in the Other Employment Sectors at €295. However, three years after graduation, this pattern had changed, with the highest median weekly earnings of €455 in Non-ELC Health & Education while the lowest was €360 in the ELC Sector.

Interactive table: PxStat Link ELA04

Earnings by NFQ level

As described in this chapter's introduction, the remainder of this analysis focuses only on those graduates working in the ELC Sector or in Non-ELC Health & Education.

Earnings for new graduates increased by approximately 13% for all NFQ levels between 2013 and 2017. Graduates in 2017 with NFQ level 5 (certificates) had the lowest median earnings of €295 per week followed by level 6 holders (advanced or higher certificates) at €350 per week. Graduates with NFQ levels 7 and 8 (ordinary and honours bachelor's degrees) had the highest median weekly earnings of €390 and €395 respectively.

Interactive table: PxStat Link ELA04

Go to next chapter: Background Notes