First Job Survey X2017: Strong employability confirmed

The professional insertion survey of X 2027 graduates in 2022 confirms the high employability of polytechnic engineers. Slightly more than half of these new graduates are heading for the corporate world, almost a third are pursuing a doctorate and 16% for the public sector.

The 518 X2017s graduating in 2022 arrived on a slowing job market after the very strong rebound in job creations recorded in 2021 linked to the dynamism of the economic recovery after the contraction in activity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, 443,000 jobs were created in France in 2022, compared with 1.1 million the previous year.

Nearly three quarters of graduates were recruited before the end of their studies, and all were in post 6 months after graduation, with 95% of them satisfied or very satisfied with their first experience. By way of comparison, the survey on the professional integration of Grandes Écoles graduates class of 2022, carried out by the Conférence des Grandes Écoles, showed that 90.5% of them were in a job no more than six months after graduation, and 68.6% before leaving the school.

Of the 57% of Polytechnique engineers who joined the business world, the vast majority began their professional careers in France: this was the case for 80% of French graduates, but also for 44% of international graduates, who accounted for 22% of the total graduating class. 

Of the X27 graduates hired by companies, 58% went into industry, including 15% into IT and digital, 20% into banking, insurance and other financial institutions, and 18% into consulting.

Of the 27% of graduates who opted for Research by embarking on a PhD, the vast majority (71%) remained in France, while 29% were accepted by universities abroad. Slightly more than a quarter (26%) did their doctorate in physics, over a fifth (21%) in applied mathematics and 16% in computer science.

The 16% of 2022 graduates who have joined the public sector have mainly joined top government bodies.

The average gross annual salary (excluding bonuses) of graduates hired by companies in France is 57,000 euros. For doctoral students, this figure is 39,000 euros including bonuses. By way of comparison, the average gross annual compensation excluding bonuses for engineering graduates in the CGE survey was 37,601 euros in France for the class of 2022.

The participation rate in the 1st job survey for the class of graduates of the Cycle Ingénieur Polytechnicien in 2022 (X2017) was 73%, with 51% of responses complete and 21% partial.