The pie charts illustrate the percentage of Australian school leavers who were unemployed, employed, and pursued further education after leaving secondary school in three years: 1980, 1990, and 2000.
Overall, there was a decrease in the proportion of students who pursued higher education, while the opposite was true for the figure for employed students. Additionally, unemployed students consistently accounted for the lowest share.
In 1980, the percentage of students who continued their higher education was the highest, at 50%, followed by the figure for employed students at 40%. Meanwhile, a tenth of students were jobless, the lowest rate. This figure rose slightly to 12% in 1990, but fell minimally to 8% in 2000, remaining the lowest figure.
Ten years later, students pursuing tertiary education declined considerably to 38% and fell slightly to 37% in 2000. In contrast, the employment rate rose to 50% in 1990, exceeding the figure for further education, and subsequently increased to 55% in 2000, becoming the dominant share.