Work experience, a job offer, current employment in your field…are essentially prerequisites for every migration pathway today. Forinternational graduates,these requirements represent a hurdle they must clear whether they choose to stay in Australia or not. That said, there are differences between fields of study — particularly when it comes to finding work in your chosen area after graduation, where the choice you made earlier can really matter.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) conducts regular employment-related surveys with the ultimate aim of providing robust, nationally consistent performance data for Australian higher education and helping drive quality improvement.
Graduate employment outcomes are a key indicator, and we have covered the annual results to varying degrees in the past — but those figures reflect the performance of all graduates combined.This time, let’s look at the latest 2021 data specifically for international graduates!
International graduate competitiveness, well…
(All figures below are for international graduates, unless otherwise stated.)
—Gained full-time employment:2In 2021, the rate for undergraduate graduates was 43%, coursework master’s graduates 43.9%, and research master’s graduates up to nearly 70%
—Found employment of any kind:In 2021, the rate for undergraduate graduates was 64.6%, coursework master’s graduates 70.1%, and research master’s graduates approximately 82%
—Median salary:2In 2021, undergraduate graduates $54,300, coursework master’s graduates $54,800, and research master’s graduates $86,900
–Graduate employment rates, whether for domestic or international students, whether for undergraduates or postgraduates,have been weaker over the past two years than in 2019
Are outcomes better overseas?
When thinking about employment outcomes for Australian international graduates, don’t assume they all stay in Australia — QILT’s surveys include those employed overseas. The pandemic has greatly accelerated remote work, and it is now common for graduates to be living abroad whilst working for Australian companies.
Overall, graduates at every qualification level tend to find more opportunities overseas.
Competition among international students from different regions
—Mainland China: undergraduate graduatesFull-time employment rate 36.4%, overall employment rate 48.5%, median salary $52,200;Coursework master’s graduates:Full-time employment rate 44.2%, overall employment rate 57.4%, median salary $52,200,all figures sit around the middle of the range.
–The gap between the top 10 source countries by response volume is actually quite small,with Singapore and the Philippines pulling noticeably ahead of the rest.For example, Singapore’s undergraduate full-time employment rate is 62.7%, with a median salary exceeding AUD 60,000; the Philippines’ coursework master’s overall employment rate is 80.6%.
–Comparing undergraduates with coursework master’s graduates: the latter do earn a higher median salary, but the same cannot necessarily be said for their full-time or overall employment rates.
Tomorrow! 28 January — all hands on deck at Newstars
The most comprehensive state nomination briefing in Australia!
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MARA-registered migration agents and seasoned state nomination specialists from every office will break down the current situation, near-term outlook, and prospects for each state — one by one! Wait it out or pivot to Plan B? Relocate quickly or hold firm? The most comprehensive state nomination briefing, bar none!
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Differences and commonalities across fields of study
The trends for undergraduate and coursework master’s graduates are broadly similar, with the latter’s figures generally higher,so the focus here is on coursework master’s graduates,with undergraduate figures included as images — feel free to click to enlarge
—Engineering, IT, business, education, social work, and law —the main fields chosen by international students — show a sizeable gap between international and domestic graduates when it comes to securing full-time employment after graduation,but when it comes to finding any employment at all, the gap narrows considerably, with most fields above 60%, and the same pattern is reflected in median salaries
—ICT field:Full-time employment rate 38.1%, overall employment rate 68.4%, median salary $52,200;Engineering field:Full-time employment rate 42.5%, overall employment rate 69.9%, median salary $52,200;Business and management:Full-time employment rate 42.3%, overall employment rate 69.1%, median salary $52,200
—Nursing field:Full-time employment rate 47.6%, overall employment rate 79.9%, median salary $64,800;Social work field:Full-time employment rate 49.3%, overall employment rate 79.2%, median salary $66,500;Law field:Full-time employment rate 62.8%, overall employment rate 68.3%, median salary $59,000
—Medicinehas the highest full-time employment rate among international graduates at 88.8% (and also the highest income),Communicationsand is relatively the most difficult path; in terms of finding any employment at all, healthcare and nursing are undoubtedly in the top tier,while engineering, computing, business, and law all sit in the second tier, at around 70%.
Complete table for coursework master’s graduates
Complete table for undergraduate graduates
Top universities — international graduate outcomes, no comparisons, no rankings…
Here’s a summary of most of the popular universities — without comparison, ranking, or commentary; have a look and take what you need
The gap in employment rates between international and domestic graduates is caused by many factors. There are always personal weaknesses to account for, but the most obvious objective reason is that migration commitments prevent full-time dedication to job searching,Mainland Chinese international students also show one figure far exceeding other countries: 59.6% of undergraduate graduates say they will continue into full-time study,compared to an average of just 33.7%.
As with all data, no matter how official, these figures are for reference only. International graduates can start from part-time or partially related roles — that foothold exists and things are not entirely difficult. Demand for healthcare and nursing speaks for itself, while IT, engineering, and business are solid and steady,if you want to find work a little more easily after graduation, it’s worth thinking outside the box — for example:
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