Studying social policy and financial markets as part of an economics degree opens up careers in finance, accountancy and government departments

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree include:

• Actuarial analyst
• Chartered accountant
• Compliance officer
• Data analyst
• Economist
• External auditor
• Financial risk analyst
• Investment analyst
• Political risk analyst
• Risk manager
• Statistician
• Stockbroker

Jobs where your degree would be useful include:

• Business development manager
• Civil Service fast streamer
• Data scientist
• Diplomatic service officer
• Local government officer
• Management consultant
• Policy officer
• Quantity surveyor

Work experience

Look for work experience within the job sector that you're interested in. For example, if you would like to work as an economist, you may want to consider applying for a place on the Government Economic Service (GES) summer scheme.

Individual government departments may also be able to offer work experience and you should contact the department directly to find out more.

You could also consider work experience or work shadowing in areas such as accountancy, banking or finance. Contact local employers to see if they can help you.

Any work experience is useful as it allows you to build essential skills in a variety of areas including teamworking, communication and time management. Contact local volunteering or charity organisations such as Do-it for volunteering opportunities.

Typical employers

Economists are employed in a variety of settings in both the public and private sectors.

The largest employer of economists is the Civil Service through the GES. The Bank of England also provides vacancies through its graduate development programme.

Economics graduates also find employment in areas such as:

• banks (high street and city)
• charitable and not-for-profit organisations
• consultancies
• insurance and accountancy firms
• government departments and think tanks.

Skills for your CV

An economics degree gives you subject-specific skills enabling you to apply economic principles and models. You'll also gain an understanding of the large driving forces shaping social policy and financial markets, as well as skills in statistical analysis.

You'll also develop valuable transferable skills, including:

• communication - presenting findings and explaining complex data
• numeracy - handling complex data and applying mathematical and statistical analysis methods
• problem solving - extracting information, drawing conclusions and making recommendations
• computing - using specialised software
• time management - completing specific tasks within designated time frames
• analytical skills - analysing research methods, data, conclusions and recommendations.