These are the best and worst university degrees to take in order to get a job in Malaga province

Coinciding with the publication of the university entrance exam results in Malaga province, the statisticians from the Junta de Andalucía's institute of statistics and cartography (Ieca) have updated the data in a report that may prove useful to those currently facing one of the most important decisions of their lives: choosing a degree. This statistical report on the jobs entered into by graduates from Andalucía's public universities is based on real data (not surveys) of students across the region. It therefore provides a reliable snapshot of the job placement rate of the region's young graduates.

The 2025 edition of this report reveals that the employability of university graduates is at an all-time high in Andalucía: almost 58% of the graduates from the last graduating cohort analysed had a job a year after graduating. This percentage is one point higher than a year earlier, but the progress is really evident when compared to a decade ago as, back then, we were talking about 44%.

This job placement rate rises to 73.8% four years after graduation. This indicator is also the highest of all instances since data collection began for this: ten years ago it was 65%.

These are the average job placement rates, but there are large differences depending on the chosen field of study. Students of technological degrees have the best job opportunities, with 85% already in work a year after graduation. The category of "health and social services" is the one with the second highest job placement rate at 80.1%. Then the third is "agriculture, livestock, fishing, forestry and veterinary medicine", with 79.6%. Also above average is "mechanics, electronics and other technical training; industry and construction" with 72.1%. Close to the average are "business, administration and law" with 57.1% and "service industries" with 55.5%.

Other fields of study are below the 55% average, namely: "education" (44.4%), "social sciences, journalism and documentation" (43.9%), "natural sciences, chemistry, physics and mathematics" (40.7%) and finally "arts, humanities and languages" (33.5%).

If, instead of looking at these broad subject areas, we were to analyse specific fields of study (those linked pretty much to specific degrees), the employability rate in Andalucía ranks highest for those graduating from "other materials industries", with a 100% job placement rate for its graduates one year after finishing their degree. It is followed by "medical diagnostics and treatment technology" (93.6%), "forestry" (87.9%), "nursing" (87.6%), "analysis and development of applications and software" (87.3%) and "information and communication technologies" (85.1%). All of these have overtaken medicine, which led the ranking last year, but now drops to 84.1%.

At the other end of the scale with the lowest job placement rates one year after graduation, are the subject areas "philosophy and ethics" (20.4%), "biochemistry" (25.7%) and "literature and linguistics" (26.5%).

In order to understand this comparison, it is necessary to appreciate the particularities of the professional opportunities in each category. For example, many science graduates wish to direct their careers towards scientific research or teaching, so it is normal that, one year after graduating, they are not yet in a job. Something similar happens for graduates in teaching and other teaching-related degrees, whose main job prospects are achieved through competitive examinations. On another point, there are professions such as law that require a Master's degree after undergrad studies in order to be able to practise in law so, for these graduates, the period of one year is too short for them to be eligible to enter the labour market.