The Graduate Outcomes Survey demonstrates why

COVID-19 had close to no impact on employment for 2018 graduates, with a fractional decline last year. Just shy of 90 per cent of 2018 grads with bachelor degrees were in full-time employment.

However, there were substantial numbers of grads still studying, notably in science and mathematics, HASS and psychology.

The GOS reveals PG coursework study is a better business for men – three years after graduation they are earning 13 per cent more than women. The gender-pay gap for research postgrads is narrower, but it’s still a gap, $4000 after three years.

After three years, employment figures for graduates of all universities range from Western Sydney U (85 per cent) to Australian Catholic U (95 per cent).

The GOS is part of the Quality Indicators for Learning Teaching, produced for the feds by the excellent Social Research Centre. It is based on a 49 per cent response rate (37 650 valid responses).