The Finnish dual higher education system consists of two complementary sectors: universities and polytechnics (universities of applied science). The universities are characterized by scientific research and provision of education based on it. Polytechnics are working life oriented (practice-oriented) and operate on the basis of higher expertise requirements set by working life (Higher Education Policy in Finland 1998). The paper dis-cusses Finnish higher education graduates transition to the labour market in the context of dual higher education system and three years after graduation. Teichler (1999) has summed up the major criteria of successful employment of new graduates. These are: 1) fluent transition to working life, 2) low unemployment rate, 3) low percentage of non-regular and precarious employment, and 4) high correspondence between graduates’ degree and their employment (high rate of graduates adequately em-ployed, close linkage between field of study and occupation (Elias, McKnight, Pitcher, Purcell & Simm1999)). The aim of the study is to investigate 1) how the female and male graduates of the two sectors of higher education (polytechnics and universities) had been employed, 2) what kind of experiences the female and male graduates had about the transition to working life, and 3) how well the employment women and men had found corresponded to their degree.

The data consists of the results of a questionnaire survey carried out in year 2005 in the study field of business and administration (Bachelors of Business Administration (n=542), Masters of Economics and Business Administration (n= 528) and Technology (Bachelors of Engineering (n=508), Masters of Science in Technology (n=576) The graduates had completed their degrees three years earlier, representing the random sample of Finnish polytechnic and university graduates of the study fields in question. The data was analyzed by ordinary statistical methods.

Comparing with general unemployment rate, the graduates had been very successful in finding employment. 4 % of those with polytechnic degree and 2 % of those with university degree were unemployed while general rate of unemployment at the same time was 8.4 %. There was no difference by gender in the unemployment rate. 90 % of graduates were in paid work, mostly in the private sector. Of the male graduates, 92 % were in paid work while 87 % of female graduates were wage earners. The great majority of graduates had permanent employment. Male graduates had permanent employment more often than female graduates. In the proportion of those who had found a job corresponding to their degree there were differences by gender according to graduates degree as well. Female bachelors of engineering had particularly faced more problems in finding adequate employment than their male colleagues. In the organizational hierarchy the female graduates had ended up in lower positions than male graduates. Similarly, there is a clear difference between genders in the percent-age of those who were working as an expert according to their own perception. Regardless of gender, the graduates’ success in finding employment depends on the higher education sector they have graduated and their degree. University graduates had succeed somewhat better in employment than polytechnic graduates, and they also held positions that correspond to their degree more often than the latter. Those who had faced most problem in placement in working life were Bachelors of Business Administration and female Bachelors of Engineering.