70% of students who graduate from high school enroll in higher education. Nearly two-thirds of them combine their studies with work. This is shown by a study on the labor market implementation of secondary education graduates in Bulgaria.
The study follows five grades of high school graduates who graduated from high school between 2018 and 2023. In all studied grades, employment is significantly higher among graduates of vocational education compared to those with specialized training. In the fifth year of secondary education, the share of those who were implemented in the labor market is highest among graduates of vocational classes in the areas of „Technology“, „Informatics“ and „Business Management and Administration“ - 75% each. They are followed by “Social Services“ and “Environmental Protection“. After them is the “Technology“ profile, which provides the highest employment in the profiled training - 73%.
The data show that students who graduated from secondary education with a natural sciences profile receive the highest salaries. In the fifth year after graduating from high school, their average taxable income approaches 2,000 leva. They are followed by graduates of vocational secondary education in the field of “Informatics“ and those with a “Foreign Languages“ profile.
There is a large difference in the realization on the labor market and income between secondary school graduates and those who enrolled in the 12th grade but did not manage to graduate. Those who do not have a high school diploma have higher employment rates in the first year after leaving school (some of them work while still in school). In the medium term, however, their employment remains relatively low - around 40%, while that of graduates is increasing. The pay gap is even greater. By the fifth year after graduating from secondary education, the income of graduates with stable employment is about three times higher than the income of non-graduates with temporary employment. Even temporary employment of graduates provides 60-80% higher income than the temporary employment of non-graduates.
In the last academic year covered by the study - 2022/2023, more than half (56%) of students in the 12th grade are studying in the 5 most popular professional fields and profiles. Traditionally, the most popular profile in secondary education remains the "Foreign Languages" profile, followed by the "Technical" field. Nearly a third of 12th grade students are enrolled in them, but their dynamics are different - the "Foreign Languages" profile increases its share to 20% in the 2022/2023 academic year, from 18% five years earlier, while the "Technical" area reduces its share to 12%, from 15%.
The data also show that 20% of secondary school graduates start working immediately without studying, and for 10 percent of high school graduates there is no information that they are insured, nor registered as unemployed, nor enrolled as students.
The study was conducted by the "Open Society" Institute.