There is a clear link between reading for pleasure and gaining a good job

Sporting prowess, playing a musical instrument or computer games make no difference to a young person’s prospects, but there is a clear link between reading for pleasure and gaining a good job, researchers have found.

The study analysed the responses of 17,200 people born in 1970 who gave details of their extra-curricular activities at the age of 16 and their jobs at 33.

Teenagers who read at least once a month were “significantly” more likely to progress to a professional or managerial position than those who did not read.

For girls, there was a 39 per cent probability that they would be in a professional or managerial position at 33 if they read at 16, compared to a 25 per cent chance if they had not.

Among boys, that rose to a 58 per cent chance.

The research also looked at after-school activities such as sports, going to the cinema, concerts or museums, cooking and sewing, but found that none of these had an impact on careers.