British Academy SHAPE Observatory

SHAPE degrees provide the skills that underpin our economy.

• The services sector accounts for 81% of the UK’s total economic output and is second only to the US in export value globally (Source: Index of Services: UK, Office for National Statistics, 2019).
• SHAPE graduates are the backbone of the economy, with the majority working in the UK services sector (Source: Business R&D in the arts, humanities and social sciences, Nesta, 2021; Qualified for the Future, the British Academy, 2020).

Research in these disciplines shapes the way we address significant economic and social challenges, informing policy and practice:

• According to the latest available data on the civil service Fast Stream and Fast Track programmes, just over 80% of successful candidates had a background in SHAPE and other non-science subjects (Source: Annual Report: Civil Service Fast Stream & Early Talent, 2018).

Languages skills are essential for trade, business and the economy.

• According to pre-pandemic data, the economic cost of the UK’s linguistic underperformance is estimated at up to £48bn per year, or 3.5% of GDP (Source: The Costs to the UK Language Deficiencies as a Barrier to UK Engagement in Exporting: a Report to UK, Foreman-Peck & Wang, 2014).

SHAPE and STEM graduates are equally employable in the UK workforce.

• The 2017 Labour Force Survey shows that 88% of humanities & social sciences graduates and 89% of STEM graduates were employed in that year (Source: Understanding the Career Paths of AHSS Students and Their Contributions to the Economy, London Economics, 2019).

SHAPE skills reflect the world we want to live in, and are necessary for post-pandemic societies:

• If you have a humanities or social sciences qualification, you are more likely to be employed in the fastest-growing sectors of the economy – such as professional, financial and legal services, and creative, digital and tech (Source: Qualified for the Future, the British Academy 2020).

SHAPE courses lead to fulfilling and rewarding careers:

• SHAPE graduates are flexible and adaptable with their skills, resilient to economic upheaval and are just as likely to remain employed during downturns as STEM graduates. They are also more likely to switch jobs and achieve better outcomes when they do (Source: Qualified for the Future, the British Academy, 2020).

SHAPE subjects are consistently popular with students:

• More people would study SHAPE courses than disciplines grouped under sciences and mathematics, if they were to take up a university course tomorrow (Source: YouGov/The British Academy, 2019).

Students on SHAPE courses are likely to be very satisfied with their study experience:

• Humanities courses such as History, Philosophy and Theology and Religious Studies are consistently highly ranked in student satisfaction surveys (Source: Times Higher Education, 2019).

Graduates with SHAPE skillsets are in high demand across work sectors:

• Eight of the 10 fastest-growing sectors in the UK economy (e.g. financial, legal and professional services, information and communication, and the creative industries) employed more graduates from SHAPE than any other disciplines (Source: Qualified for the Future, the British Academy 2020).