Graduates can breathe a sigh of relief at last as figures published on Thursday show 71% of university leavers who gained a first are currently employed.
The statistics, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), are bound to provide a ray of hope amid a background of economic doom and gloom.
Out of the 2011 leavers, which include UK and other EU domiciled graduates, 63% are in employment only, a further 8% are working and studying, 16% are in further study and 9% are unemployed.
(HESA cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived from the data by third parties)
Of the graduates who entered employment, 69% were employed in full-time paid work, 22% were employed part-time, 5% were self-employed or freelance and 4% were in voluntary or unpaid work.
A breakdown of UK graduates who attained a first reveals 71% of English, 70% of Welsh, 72% of Scottish and 74% of Northern Irish university leavers are in employment.