The two graphs demonstrate the shares of mathematics graduates and the share of people with full-time jobs after university in Australia, along with the average salary of both postgraduates, in an 8-year period, commencing from 2004.
In general, the proportion of mathematics graduates indicated the same percentage at the beginning and the end of the span; however, a decreasing trend was observed for the same bracket. As for the salary, upward trends were seen, and mathematics graduates were dominant in terms of income. Of particular note is that the amount of salaries that mathematics and all postgraduates received were identical in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
Starting with the first chart, decreasing rates of full-time workers with a degree were obvious after 2008. At first, the percentages of mathematics and all graduates were about 80% and 65%, respectively—a 15% difference. The rate for the former increased to a sharp 90% in 2006, while the latter reached 70% in the same year. Mathematics graduates experienced a declining trend, decreasing to 80% in the end. As for all graduates, the figure increased subtly, increasing to 85% in 2008 before declining to 55% in 2012.
Regarding the salaries of two distinct brackets—mathematics and all postgraduates—the former was 41,000 in 2004 before gaining 2,000 more in 2006—43,000, whereas their counterparts showed the same numbers in the same years. By 2012, mathematics graduates increased to 60,000, outnumbering their counterparts, who got 51,000—a 9,000 difference. In total, mathematics and all graduates gained over 19,000 and 10,000, respectively, over the span.
