Despite a soft national labour market, University of Queensland graduates under the age of 25 and available for full-time work have again achieved commendable employment rates.
The 2011 Australian Graduate Survey results, released on 14 December by Graduate Careers Australia, reveal that University of Queensland graduates continued to score jobs in the post-global financial crisis climate.
In the national performance figures, UQ had achieved a full-time employment rate for bachelor degree graduates of 81.6 per cent against the national full-time employment figure of 74.9 per cent reported by GCA.
The data, which apply to Australian citizens and permanent residents, were collected in April, 2011, within four months of students completing their studies.
The University of Queensland has only 6.5 percent of its graduates recorded as unemployed and seeking full-time employment in the Australian Graduate Survey 2011. This compares with a national rate of 8.7 per cent of bachelor degree graduates reported by GCA as not working and still looking for full-time employment at the time of the survey.
The figures for UQ bachelor degree graduates in further full-time study represented 21.7 per cent against a national figure of 19.4 percent.
The GCA said the soft labour market conditions, reflecting the state of the broader economic environment, also served to limit the growth in graduate starting salaries.
UQ bachelor degree graduates in their first full-time employment (and under 25 years of age) reported median starting salaries of $52,000 and average starting salaries of $51,700. The national median annual starting salary for bachelor degree graduates aged less than 25 and in their first full-time employment in Australia was $50,000.
Of those in their first full-time employment, the higher end UQ salaries reported by graduates included:
1. Dental Practitioners $121,500
2. Other Engineering Professionals $114,500
3. Mining Engineers $102,500
4. Geologists $96,000
5. Metallurgists $93,500
The top ten professions for bachelor graduates by levels of full-time employment
Geology 100%
Mechanical Engineering 100%
Medicine 100%
Mining Engineering 100%
Pharmacy 100%
Veterinary Science 96.7%
Chemical Engineering 94.9%
Civil Engineering 94.5%
Dentistry 93.5%
Occupational Therapy & Physiotherapy 93.3%
People wishing to learn more about studying at The University of Queensland can attend a UQ Options evening on Monday December 19, 2011 from 4pm to 7pm at the UQ Centre, Union Road, St Lucia, following the release of Queensland Year 12 results on Friday, December 16.
• For details of the exciting range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs offered by UQ please visit: www.uq.edu.au/study
• People interested in undertaking research higher degrees at UQ should visit: http://www.uq.edu.au/grad-school/
• Important information for international students is at: http://www.uq.edu.au/international/
Media: Jan King 0413 601 248
