The table outlines the average annual income in various sectors for the year 2004, alongside the percentage change from the previous year, while the pie chart reveals the distribution of graduates across these sectors.
Overall, the public service sector was the most popular for graduates and also the best paid, and the agricultural one paid the least, although it was the second most popular sector. Meanwhile, people in the wholesale and retail trades saw the highest year-on-year pay rise.
Public services topped the income scale in 2004, providing an average annual income of $92,000, which was a 3.7% increase from the previous year. This sector also absorbed the most graduates, constituting 30% of the total. Conversely, the sector with the lowest income was agriculture, offering an average income of $40,000, a modest 2.31% increase from 2003. This sector, however, employed a significant 25% of graduates.
The financial sector saw a minimal income increase of 2.9% from 2003, with the average salary being $83,000 in 2004. Despite the high income, this sector accounted for only 5% of the total graduate employment, the lowest among all sectors. Meanwhile, manufacturing managed to employ 20% of the graduates, despite having much lower average income of $52,000 (a 4% increase from 2003).
In the transportation sector, the average worker earned $81,000 in 2004, representing a 4.5% increase in income compared to 2003. Notwithstanding such a high pay rate, this sector could only attract 10% of the graduates. A similar graduate employment rate was seen in the wholesale and retail trade sector, which offered an average income of $77,000, showing by far the highest percentage increase from the previous year at 8.4%.