Most Australian graduates are enjoying employment success and earning high salaries according to this report.

The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey was designed to gain information on employment outcomes five years after completing a bachelor degree, how these changed from graduates’ initial outcomes, the pathways taken and the factors that influence outcomes. Some 9238 graduates from all Table A higher education providers (with one exception) as well as Bond University and the University of Notre Dame participated in the survey. The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey was the first national study of its kind in Australia.

Among the report’s key findings:

• Graduates can take a few years to establish their careers: the rate of participation in paid work among graduates rose from 84% to 91% between the first and fifth year following graduation.

• At the national level, the median graduate salary rose from $38,000 to $60,000 in the first five years post-graduation – a 58% increase.

• Graduate outcomes and pathways varied for different fields of education, with some graduates taking longer to settle into their careers.

• Graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds achieved outcomes on par with the general graduate population.