5. Position in the labour market of students who have left educational programmes featuring AI

Chapter 4 described educational programmes featuring AI based on enrolment numbers. In the following paragraphs, we will describe how students of AI education have fared in the years after graduating or leaving their programmes. For this purpose, we used the figures on students who left in academic years 2018/'19 through 2022/'23.

The annual number of students leaving AI-broad³⁰⁾ programmes between 2018/'19 and 2022/'23 was between approximately 15 thousand (academic year 2019/'20) and nearly 22 thousand (academic year 2022/'23) students. The category of ‘AI-broad’ involved a selection³¹⁾of all educational programmes with an AI component. In sum, more than 91 thousand students were involved over the years investigated. The number of students leaving AI-narrow programmes was smaller during this period, totalling over all years 4,250 students. The category of ‘AI-narrow’ consists of programmes where AI is central to the curriculum. AI-narrow is a subset of AI-broad.

The figures in this chapter mainly concern students leaving AI-broad (including AI-narrow) programmes. Where possible, students leaving AI-narrow programmes are discussed separately. In the table set that accompanies this chapter, more data is provided than we can cover here. This chapter is limited to the most important findings.

5.1 Two-thirds graduated from educational programmes featuring AI

Around two-thirds (67 percent) of students left educational programmes featuring AI with an AI diploma³²⁾ , while one-third left without a matching diploma. Across all years, 73 percent of all students who left AI-narrow did so with a degree. That proportion was therefore slightly higher for AI-narrow than for AI-broad.

The proportion of students who left AI education with an AI degree is relatively stable (figure 5.1.1). The academic year 2019/’20 saw the highest proportion of students leaving with a degree (70 percent); the lowest proportion was 64 percent in the 2021/’22 academic year (during the COVID-19 pandemic).

Women were more likely to graduate from AI education with an AI degree (77 percent) than men (63 percent). In other (non-AI) courses, women also graduated more often than men, in both secondary vocational education (MBO) and higher education.

Whether students left AI education with an AI diploma depended on the type of education (figure 5.1.2): the proportion of students who graduated was lowest in MBO, and highest in university education (WO).

This difference was caused in part by the start of a new AI programme in MBO in the 2019/’20 academic year: ‘software developer’, part of the ‘application building and programming’ section. Most persons who left this program were still ungraduated, as the period we examined was quite short for obtaining a diploma. 

5.2 Majority of students leaving AI programmes became employees

Of those students who left AI education, it was examined immediately after exit and in subsequent years whether they went to work as employees or became self-employed, whether they received benefits, and whether they returned to education. We also investigated whether they were still registered in the Netherlands in the population register (BRP). For each person, a check was carried out to determine whether they were enrolled in education and the BRP on 1 October; with respect to employment and benefit status, a check was carried out for the month of October.

For each year, it was determined whether individuals returned to education that year or earlier³³⁾ . If they did not, we checked whether they were still registered in the BRP on the reference date. If individuals did not return to education and were registered in the BRP on the reference date, they were included in the labour market population. Within this group, a prioritisation was made, as a person can be both employed and self-employed, and can both work and receive benefits. This prioritisation is as follows: 1. employee, 2. self-employed, 3. benefits recipient. Some individuals did belong to the labour market population, but they were neither working nor receiving benefits. This group is included in the presentation of the results, along with the group not registered in the BRP at the reference date, under the heading ‘other: unemployed, no benefits, not in BRP’.

In the 2018/'19 academic year, 15,800 students exited AI-broad education, both with and without degrees. Most of them immediately found employment. Self-employment or receiving benefits were rare, and remained so for the first four years after exit.

MBO students and HBO students in particular returned to education, usually after leaving without a diploma: of those who left without a diploma, more than a quarter (28 percent) returned to education versus only 5 percent of those who left with a diploma. The results are similar for other cohorts, and will therefore not be discussed.

Students who had left AI-narrow (540 persons total) were more likely to end up in the category ‘other: no work, no benefits, not in BRP’. This was probably because programmes within AI-narrow were relatively often followed by international students. After leaving education, this group was more likely to leave the Netherlands. They did not always deregister from the BRP when leaving. This made it appear that these individuals were neither working nor receiving benefits, when in reality they had already left the Netherlands. Some of the international students did deregister from the BRP. They also ended up in this category (see also Section 5.4).

5.3 Most employees end up in information and communication sector

For students who left educational programmes featuring AI and started working as employees, the relevant economic sector was recorded. Some sectors received very few employees from AI education. Additionally, to prevent data being traceable to individual persons, some sectors will not be shown in this chapter. These include, for instance, the sectors Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Mining and quarrying, and Real estate activities.

October 2023 was used as the reference date for determining the sector. All cohorts were examined. This means that the number of years that individuals were employed varies: the cohort 2022/'23, consists of people who had become employees immediately after leaving education, while the 2018/’19 cohort consisted of employees who had left four years earlier. In October 2023, most people were employed in the Information and communication sector.

Those who left AI education with an AI degree and those who left without a degree tended to work for companies in different sectors. Of those who had left with a degree, most worked in the following sectors: Information and communication, Specialised business services, and Trade. Of those who had left without a degree, the largest number of people were employed in the Trade sector (especially in supermarkets), as well as in Renting, leasing and other business support services (especially at temporary employment agencies). Those leaving education were more likely to work in these sectors immediately after their leaving education than they were to do so a few years later. Those who left education without a degree were also relatively likely to work in the information and communication sector in 2023.

There are some differences between AI-broad and AI-narrow in terms of the sectors where employees end up. These differences are illustrated using the 2018/'19 cohort four years after graduation in October 2023, which includes both people with and without a diploma.
People leaving AI-broad or AI-narrow education were equally likely to end up working in the Information and communication sector. However, people leaving AI-narrow were significantly more likely to work in education – and particularly university education. It is possible that these are individuals who went on to work at a university as PhD candidates after completing their studies. This is also consistent with the relatively large numbers of AI job vacancies in education (see chapter 6). People leaving AI-narrow were less likely to enter the manufacturing or trade sectors than those leaving AI-broad.

5.4 Most international AI students left the Netherlands

International students are only distinguished within higher education. The following findings therefore relate exclusively to AI programmes within HBO and WO education.

International students were as likely to leave AI education with an AI degree (67 percent) as non-international students (68 percent). This was true across all cohorts. It was the international students who mainly –and usually immediately after leaving– ended up in the category ‘other: no work, no benefits, not in BRP’. As indicated in Section 5.2, most of these were individuals who no longer resided in the Netherlands but had not deregistered from the BRP.

Over a quarter of international students (26 to 29 percent, across all cohorts) found employment in the Netherlands. This proportion was close to the average of international students in the Netherlands. One or two internationals returned to education. Like their non-international peers, international students rarely became self-employed, and they almost never received benefits.

International students from all cohorts were more likely than non-international students to choose programmes in the sections³⁴⁾; Computer Science & Computer Engineering and Artificial Intelligence & Knowledge Technology (i.e. AI-narrow). They were less likely to choose courses in the sections Marketing & Commercial Economics and General Information Technology. International students' preferences for specific programmes may have helped to determine the specific sectors in which they came to work post-education.

In October 2023, international students who started working in the Netherlands were as likely to be employed in the information and communication sector as non-international students. For this, we looked at all cohorts on the reference date. In 2023, international students were more likely than non-international students to work in manufacturing, specialised business services, financial services, and education. In the latter sector, they were often employed as PhD candidates. International students were proportionally less likely to enter the sectors Public administration and public services and Trade.

5.5 Most AI graduates worked at least 35 hours per week

Working hours per week were generally similar for workers across the different cohorts. For this reason, we have opted to discuss those leaving educational programmes featuring AI in the 2018/’19 cohort, since this cohort had the most reference dates available.

Immediately after leaving AI education, people were more likely to work in jobs with shorter hours, especially those leaving without a degree. This was likely because former AI students were more likely to work in the sectors trade (including supermarkets) and renting & other business support services (including employment agencies). These sectors are characterised by flexible jobs with shorter hours. Two years after leaving education, those without a diploma had either found more stable employment than their former jobs at supermarkets or employment agencies, or they were back in education. At that point, the graduates had been active in the labour market for a little longer. The working hours per sector are shown below, taken over the four years after leaving education. These provide a picture of the more stable working hours.

Most employees worked 35 hours per week or more. There were more jobs with shorter hours in the food and accommodation services sector, but there were very few AI employees still working there four years after leaving education. Part-time jobs with longer hours (20 to 35 hours) were somewhat more common in the education and health & social work sectors. In these sectors, shorter working hours were more common.

Of those leaving AI-narrow, 79 percent were working 35 hours a week or more after four years. The number of people in this group is too small to provide a breakdown by individual sectors.