The graphs illustrate the number of graduates who succeeded in securing full-time employment after graduating from an Australian university, as well as the average salary of both math graduates and graduates from other fields. The data covers the period from 2004 to 2012.
Starting with the percentage of students who found work immediately after graduating, in 2004, math graduates were more successful in securing jobs, with over 75% employed. This percentage remained consistent in the following years until 2007, when it began to slowly increase. In contrast, graduates from other disciplines faced more challenges in finding full-time positions, with only 60% employed in 2004. However, this trend changed in 2006 when employment opportunities for these students surpassed those for math graduates, peaking at approximately 90%. Despite this impressive rise, the percentage of employed graduates from other disciplines began to decline in the following years. By 2008, employment opportunities stabilized for all graduates, with around 85% of new workers. Ultimately, in 2012, 80% of math graduates had secured jobs, while employment among other graduates fell below 60%, returning to levels seen in 2004.
In terms of salary, both groups of graduates started with the same initial salary of $41,000 in 2004. By 2006, this amount increased to $43,000 for both categories. Unfortunately, while the salaries for graduates from other fields steadily increased over the years, the growth was not as significant as that of math graduates. By 2012, math graduates received a salary of $56,000, compared to $51,000 for their counterparts from other disciplines.
Overall, it can be observed that job opportunities fluctuated for both types of graduates throughout the years, with math graduates emerging as the most successful. Furthermore, the salaries for new math graduates surpassed those of graduates from other fields as time progressed.