AUSTRALIA

Researchers question degree payoff

The proportion of employed graduates has risen since Australian universities embarked on their latest phase of expansion. But the proportion of graduates in professional and managerial positions has declined, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveal, writes John Ross for The Australian.

The figures lend weight to speculation that degrees are becoming entry tickets into the workforce rather than marks of distinction. Government figures that show the proportion of graduates with jobs, which had hovered around 85% for the 15 years, suddenly increased more than two percentage points last year and this year. At the same time the proportion with top-end jobs declined almost four percentage points. The change coincided with a surge in student numbers.
Full report on the Inside Higher Ed site