Introduction

Financial services, banking, consultancy and management are typical areas where the combination of analytical and quantitative skills economics graduates have is in particularly high demand.  An Economics degree would put you in a strong position to apply for most graduate schemes offered in these sectors, many of which may offer further formal qualifications.

If you’re looking to gain experience 

Gaining experience that allows you to apply your quantitative and analytical skills in a real-life setting is extremely valuable. Internships are widely offered, e.g. at management consultancies, banks, economic consultancies and research institutes such as the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

If you’re early on in your career 

There are various economist specific graduate schemes, for example, within the public sector, the Government Economic Fast Stream or the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Economic Diplomatic Stream; within the financial sector, the International Monetary Fund and The Bank of England.

Entry level economist roles, rather than graduate schemes are also available and are often advertised on either the central civil service jobs board or various job platforms (see Useful Websites).

Most of the broader graduate programmes will also be open to economics graduates

If you have more experience

International organisations offer training opportunities specifically open to those with a PhD, including The International Monetary Fund and The World Bank. The European Central Bank, offers both offers internships and a graduate programme to citizens of member countries, typically to Master’s and PhD students.

If you’re changing career

As legislation and business decisions are intricately connected, government and business welcome employees who are switching careers; they value the knowledge and expertise that career changes may bring when moving from one sector to another.

Not sure what to do next?

We’re here to talk over your career plans with you. It doesn’t matter what stage you’re at, so don’t feel you have to have it all worked out. You can book a one-to-one appointment with a careers consultant on CareerHub. 

An economics degree can take you in many directions. Some roles will directly draw on your economics knowledge, but the broad skills acquired are widely transferable across many sectors that handle data or quantitative analysis, from environment and health, to politics and development.

We’ve outlined roles that are often of interest to LSE students with links to where you can find more information. If you can, try and talk to someone who’s doing the job you’re interested in, so you can get a real flavour of what it’s like.

• Chartered accountant – works across all areas of business including the charity and not for profit sector. Audits and assesses/verifies financial accounts. Further training and qualifications are built in to graduate training schemes, allowing registration with the relevant regulatory body. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) provides a useful introduction in What is Chartered Accountancy?
• Actuary – assesses risk through applied mathematics. Actuarial roles involve problem solving and interpersonal skills when working with clients. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries explains in more detail in What is an Actuary?, and you might also find our Careers in Financial Services page useful.
• Analyst/Associate – a common, entry-level economist role. Provides clear recommendations on a wide range of current economic issues affecting many different sectors, including retail, health, transport, utilities, and energy. Can expect to move in quick succession through several roles and departments within their first two years.
• Economic consultant – applies techniques of economic analysis to help businesses, regulators and policy makers evaluate and implement strategic decisions. The Inside Careers guide to Economic consulting provides further details.
• Economist – works across private and public sectors. Combining research and analysis, economists seek to uncover or forecast trends to advise industry or the government. The Prospects Economist job profile is a useful resource.
• Market Researcher – compiles and analyses information and presents it to their client to help them make decisions. Roles can be based in-house and within agencies, and can be qualitative or quantitative, the latter being more applicable for those with an economics background. Check out the Prospects Market researcher job profile.
• Data analyst/Statistician – focuses on the analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. Often strong communication skills are needed to communicate findings to your client/organisation. Statisticians are often seen a specialist type of Data Analyst, who apply mathematical theory to quantitative information/data. The Prospects Data analyst and Statistician profiles provide further details.
• Researcher – works in in government, education, consultancy, professional services, the list is endless! To find out more about research careers, visit our Careers in Research page.