2008 Graduates at a Glance

Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) conducts an annual survey of new graduates shortly after the completion of their studies.

The Australian Graduate Survey (AGS) looks at how many graduates are in work or are seeking employment, what they are earning, and whether or not they are studying for another qualification.

Of bachelor degree graduates who were available for full-time employment in 2008:

• 85.2% were in full-time employment within four months of completing their degrees (up from 84.5% last year);
• 9.6% were working on a part-time or casual basis while continuing to seek full-time employment (down from 10.5% last year)
• 5.2% were not working and still looking for full-time employment at the time of the survey (5.0% last year)

AGS figures show employment prospects for new graduates fell from a recent high point in 2000, levelled out between 2003 and 2004, and have since shown a continued improvement.  However, these employment figures were gathered in late 2007 and early 2008, and as such precede the current global financial downturn.

Around one-fifth of respondents (19.6 percent - down from 20.0 per cent last year), were undertaking further full-time study after completing their bachelor qualifications.

The median annual starting salary for new Australian resident bachelor degree graduates aged less than 25 and in their first full-time employment in Australia was $45,000 ($43,000 in 2007).  This was 80.9 per cent of the annual rate of male average weekly earnings ($55,600) at the time of the AGS), up from 80.1 percent in 2007.

Males earned a starting salary of $47,000 (up from $45,000 in 2007) and females earned $45,000 (up from $42,000 in 2007).

Overall satisfaction with courses as measured by the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ) remains at a high level, with 88.4 per cent of graduates expressing broad satisfaction with their courses.

More information:  www.graduatecareers.com.au