Graduate Careers Australia has released the results of its annual survey of university graduates (GradStats) recently. Let’s have a look at how health graduates fared….

1. Percentage of graduates who went into full-time employment

Table 1 – Australian health industry graduate employment rate 2013 (Source GradStats)

In terms of the employment rate of graduates from Australian tertiary institutions with a Bachelor’s Degree:

• The vast majority (96.9%) of medical graduates found an intern position for 2014
• The vast majority (97.6%) of pharmacy graduates found an intern (a one-year pre-registration training) position for 2014 (please see our article from June 2013 regarding the labour market for pharmacists)
• The psychology statistics may be misleading as to become a registered psychologist, post-graduate study is required. The employment statistic was for people who have completed an undergraduate degree in psychology.
• Approximately 1 in 6 dentistry graduates are seeking a full-time job (see our article from January 2013 regarding part-time positions in dentistry, this trend may be continuing)
• The jobs market for graduate nurses still appears to be tight (see our article from August 2013)

2. Starting salaries for graduates entering full-time jobs

Table 2 – Australian health industry graduate salaries 2013 (Source GradStats)  
Again in 2013, graduates of health degrees made up 3 of the top 5 full-time salaries. The top 5 were:

• Dentistry – $80,000
• Optometry – $70,000
• Engineering – $64,000
• Earth sciences – $60,000
• Medicine – $60,000

For more information, click on the link to access GradStats 2013.