Band 8+: The graphs below show the percentage of math graduates and all graduates who got full-time job after graduating from a university in Australia, and also shows the average salary of both grads, from 2004 to 2012. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant. Write at least 150 words.

The two graphs below depict the employment rates and average salaries of mathematics graduates and all graduates in Australia from 2004 to 2012.

The graphs reveal a declining trend in the proportion of full-time workers with a university degree, contrasted with a steady increase in average salaries over the 8-year period.

Between 2004 and 2012, the percentage of full-time workers holding a mathematics degree declined steadily, from 80% to 60%, while that of all graduates exhibited a similar downward trend, from 85% to 65%. Notably, the proportion of mathematics graduates in full-time employment demonstrated a slight fluctuation, peaking at 75% in 2006 before reverting to its initial level in 2012.

In contrast, the average salaries of both mathematics and all graduates displayed a consistent upward trend. The average salary of mathematics graduates escalated significantly, from $41,000 in 2004 to $60,000 in 2012, surpassing that of all graduates, which rose from $41,000 to $51,000 over the same period. The average salaries of both categories exhibited a marked increase from 2008 onwards.