About 66 per cent of graduates aged 25-30 reported being in high-skilled employment in the first quarter of 2014, down from 72 per cent in the first quarter of 2008.
The reduction was less significant for graduates aged between 18 and 24. About 44 per cent of these were employed in high-skilled jobs in 2014, compared with 49 per cent six years ago, says the analysis conducted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
However, BIS says that the graduate employment rate is now at its highest level since the second quarter of 2008. For high-skilled jobs specifically, graduates aged 18-24 are experiencing the highest employment rate in almost five years, it adds in the analysis.
