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.
