Australia recently reaffirmed the value of science higher education, but the labor market offers few opportunities for scientists to work.
The Australian Graduate Careers Australia (GCA) conducted a longitudinal study of 12,000 students graduating in 2007 and published the report “Beyond Graduation 2011”. The results show that the employment prospects of science graduates are not optimistic. Like graduates of the art creation profession, science graduates find it difficult to find work in their own professional fields. Therefore, they are more likely to choose to go back to school and pursue further studies—taking a second degree or studying for graduate students.
The report challenged the current call to expand the cultivation of science students. In this regard, relevant experts believe that this call is mostly from vested interest groups, and that these employers should change their attitude towards science graduates and help students have more choices when entering universities. In addition, a large number of science graduates continue to pursue doctoral degrees, which also affects the final employment results. But in Australia, even with a doctorate, the employment situation of science graduates is still not optimistic.