The diagrams illustrate the effect of full-time jobs average salary on the percentage of graduates in maths and other courses in an Australian University between 2004 and 2012. The line chart shows changes in percentages of the graduates in the maths and other courses, while the table demonstrates differences in the average incomes.
Overall, although there has been a steady rise in average salary for both math and other graduates over time, the percentage of graduates taking other courses has been declining more than math graduates.
In 2004, the percentage of graduates engaged in full-time jobs was around 60%. This number jumped to around 80% in 2006 before dropping to below 60% in 2012. During the same time, percentage of math graduates changed slighly, dropping from around 79% in 2004 to around 76% in 2012.
The changes in percentages of graduates engaged in full-time jobs may have been due to changes in the average incomes. In 2004, math graduates pocketed $41,000 similar to other graduates. However, from 2008 to 2012, salaries for math graduates rose to $56,000 whereas wages for other graduates increased to $51,000. So, the gap in average salaries between the graduates of maths and other courses of about $5000, may have led to declining number of graduates in other courses taking full-time job.