The bar chart compares the proportion of university students in Australia who had part-time jobs in 1983 and 2003, while the table illustrates the average weekly hours devoted to work and the average time required to finish a degree in the same years.
Overall, a significantly larger share of students were employed in 2003 compared with 1983, and this increase in work commitment coincided with heavier workloads and longer graduation periods.
In 1983, only about 30% of students held part-time jobs. By contrast, the figure rose to half of the student population in 2003, representing a considerable growth of 20 percentage points over the two decades.
The table shows a parallel trend. Students who worked part-time in 1983 devoted an average of 10 hours per week to employment and usually completed their degrees in 4 years. By 2003, average weekly work hours had almost doubled, reaching 18, while the time taken to graduate lengthened to 5 years.
These figures suggest that increasing reliance on part-time work among students may have delayed academic progress.