Maths can lead to 'lucrative jobs'

There are many lucrative job options available to people who study maths at further and higher education, one expert has claimed.

According to Marcus du Sautoy, a professor of maths at Wadham College Oxford, many City firms currently employ a large amount of graduate mathematicians.

The subject is increasingly important in today's world, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

The technology that is being used to change our voices into zeroes and ones; that is all using maths. Our world is built on the Internet, on mobile phones, on new gadgets and that is all maths, he said.

Furthermore, Professor du Sautoy added that many mathematicians are making money in the hedge fund business.

Think-tank Reform recently warned that poor maths teaching is costing the economy billions each year, while the Learning and Skills Council has suggested that jobseekers improve their numeracy skills.

ClickAJob chief executive Yngve Traberg sees a proficiency in maths as the common denominator in many job opportunities.

IT, business, finance, engineering, even medicine - nearly every major discipline requires a good grounding in at least A Level maths or better, he says.

Without numeracy, it is extremely hard for anyone to earn any serious money - let alone work out how much small change they should have in their pocket after Gordon Brown has taken his cut.