Graduate Careers Australiaergo - Number 97 Dec 2004 - Feb 2005New Postgraduate Employment StrongA new report released this year by the Graduate Careers Council of Australia (GCCA), the Postgraduate Destination Survey 2003, suggests that almost 90 per cent of new postgraduates find full-time employment within about four months of completing their qualifications. The report is based on data gathered in the annual Graduate Destination Survey (GDS), which is conducted in co-operation with all Australian universities. The GDS tracks the activities of new university graduates who completed their qualifications in the previous calendar year. Information from over 107,000 new graduates was gathered four months after they completed their qualifications. Employment This report shows that of new postgraduates available for full-time employment, 88.4 per cent had found a position at the time of the GDS (table 5 in the report). An additional 6.4 per cent were working on a part-time basis while seeking full-time employment and 5.3 per cent were not working while seeking a full-time position. Of all GDS respondents, those with a graduate certificate had the best employment figures, with 93.0 per cent in full-time employment (table 5 in the report). Over six in ten postgraduates in full-time employment (65.4 per cent) were employed at a professional level, with 10.0 per cent working as managers and 13.4 per cent working at para-professional level (table 16 in the report). Overall, females (69.4 per cent) were more likely than males (59.7 per cent) to have been working at professional level as were those with a research higher degree (masters research or PhD – 79.9 per cent). Most of this disparity would be related to differences in prior qualifications, with females predominating in the teaching and health professions. Salaries Postgraduates with a coursework masters degree had the highest annual median salaries at $60,000 (table 24 in the report). They were followed by research masters and PhD graduates on $55,000 and those with a graduate or postgraduate diploma or graduate certificate on $50,000. However, most postgraduates have had some level of previous employment experience and reported salary figures reflect this. Of those in their first full-time employment, coursework masters, research masters and PhD graduates earned $50,000 while those with a graduate or postgraduate diploma or graduate certificate earned $42,500. The highest paid masters research or PhD graduates were working in the health sector ($56,800 – table 23 in the report) while the highest paid coursework masters graduates ($70,000) were employed in the private sector. Of those with a postgraduate diploma or graduate certificate, the highest paid were also working in the private sector ($58,800). Postgraduates at all levels who were employed as managers and administrators earned the highest salaries, with research masters and PhD graduates earning $70,500 (table 24 in the report), coursework masters graduates earning $80,000 and those with a postgraduate diploma or graduate certificate earning $70,000. The GCCA has also released a second new publication, the 2003 Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire report. For further information, please contact either:
Cindy Tilbrook, GCCA Executive Director
Bruce Guthrie, GCCA Research Manager |
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