4102.0 - Australian Social Trends, 2001
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 06/06/2001
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Educational Attainment: Field of study and employment
FIELD OF STUDY OF PERSONS AGED 15-64 YEARS WITH QUALIFICATIONS, 2000
(b) Includes people with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described. (c) People with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described were excluded prior to the calculation of percentages. Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. Highest and recent qualifications In 2000, there were 5.5 million people with a recognised post-school qualification. Of these, 43% held them in one of two fields: Business and administration, or Engineering. However, this has not always been the case. When comparing recently acquired qualifications with the stock built up over time, a different picture emerges. Because individuals’ highest qualifications may include those obtained many years ago, examining the highest qualifications held by a population does not indicate the fields in which qualifications have been obtained in more recent years. If only qualifications acquired in the past year (1999) are considered, then Business and administration (27%), Society and culture (19%), and Natural and physical sciences qualifications (12%) were the most common fields of study. On the other hand, Engineering, which comprised 22% of the highest qualifications, only comprised 11% of the qualifications completed in 1999. DISTRIBUTION OF QUALIFICATIONS OF PERSONS AGED 25-64 YEARS, 2000
(b) People with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described were excluded prior to the calculation of percentages. (c) Includes people with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described. Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. Characteristics by field of study Comparing fields of study chosen by young people in the past with those chosen by present-day young people reveals changes over time in the fields of study of qualifications which were most commonly attained. While not all qualifications held by older people are necessarily obtained when they were young, most qualifications are obtained between the ages of 15 and 24 years. In 2000, the qualifications held by people aged 25-34 years were most commonly in the Business and administration field (22%). People aged 55-64 were more likely to hold qualifications in Engineering. However, both of these fields of study were common among the qualifications held by people of all ages. Agriculture and Natural and physical sciences, while not fields where a high proportion of people of any age group held qualifications, were more common among younger people than older people. People aged 55-64 years had the highest proportion of Architecture and building qualifications of any age group, suggesting a relative decline in attainment in this field of study over time. The distribution of the sexes across fields varied considerably. While more than two thirds of people with qualifications in Hairdressing and beauty therapy, Health, and Education were women, fewer than one in ten people holding qualifications in Engineering, and Architecture and building were women. PROPORTION OF PERSONS WITH QUALIFICATIONS WHO ARE FEMALE, 2000 Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. Field and level of qualifications Bachelor degrees or higher were the most commonly held qualifications in 2000. While this overall trend is not evident across all fields of study, it is the case for Education (70% holding a bachelor degree or higher), Natural and physical sciences (64%), Society and culture (63%) and Health (51%). Education was the only field where more than a quarter of people with these qualifications held them above the bachelor level, with 25% holding a postgraduate diploma. Conversely, almost half (42%) of people with a Business and administration qualification held it at the basic vocational level. Hairdressing and beauty therapy (83%), Architecture and building (75%), Engineering (67%) and Food and hospitality (62%) were most commonly held at the skilled vocational level. PERSONS AGED 15-64 YEARS WITH A POST-SCHOOL QUALIFICATION, 2000
(b) Undergraduate and associate diplomas. (c) Includes other Miscellaneous fields. (d) Includes people with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described. Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. Qualifications and the labour force One of the purposes for obtaining qualifications is to acquire skills which will be valuable in the labour market with the aim of increasing the chances of working and, in particular, of working in a preferred job. In 2000, 85% of people aged 15-64 years with qualifications were in the labour force compared with 67% of those without qualifications. While participation in the labour force varied by field of qualification, it also varied between men and women. While women’s participation in the labour force has been increasing over time, it remained lower than men’s (54% compared with 73% - see Australian Social Trends 2001, Work: national summary table). Comparing the labour force participation of people with qualifications in various fields of study can therefore be complicated by the differing proportions of men and women with qualifications in different fields of study. LABOUR FORCE STATUS OF PERSONS AGED 15-64 YEARS BY HIGHEST QUALIFICATION, 2000
(b) Includes other Miscellaneous fields. (c) Includes people with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described. Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. However, by removing the effect of differing proportions of men and women holding qualifications across fields of study (by standardising), a more useful comparison of the differences in labour force participation of people with qualifications in different fields of study is possible. Unstandardised, labour force participation varied across fields of study from 83% (Society and culture) to 91% (Agriculture). The standardised participation rates varied within a similar but slightly lower range from 80% to 87%, with participation rates for the more male-dominated industries declining the most as a result of standardisation (Engineering from 89% to 80%, and Architecture and building from 90% to 85%). Some of the differences in full-time employment across fields of study also relate to the propensity of men and women to have qualifications in specific fields. For example, women were more likely to hold qualifications in Health and were also more likely than men to be employed part-time. Once rates of full-time employment are standardised for sex, people with qualifications in Business and administration were most likely to be employed full-time (67%) while people with qualifications in Society and culture were least likely to be full-time (60%). Unemployment is generally lower for people with qualifications than it is for those without qualifications. However, unemployment rates did vary by field of study for those with qualifications. People with qualifications in Education had the lowest unemployment rate (2%), while people with qualifications in Food and hospitality had the highest unemployment rate (9%). UNEMPLOYMENT RATE BY FIELD OF STUDY OF HIGHEST QUALIFICATION, 2000 Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. Distribution of qualifications across industries Not only does labour force status vary depending on field of qualification, so do the industries in which qualification holders work. It could be expected that industries with certain skill requirements would employ people educated in fields providing those skills. For some fields of study, people mainly worked in the industry directly connected with their training. For example, more than half of the people with Health (73%), Education (68%), or Architecture and building (59%) qualifications were employed in the corresponding industries of Health and community services, Education, or Construction. On the other hand, not all fields of study relate directly to a single industry. Less than a quarter of the people with qualifications in some fields were employed in any one industry. Instead they were spread across a number of industries. For example, similar proportions of people with qualifications in Society and culture were employed in the Education (17%), Health and community services (17%), and Property and business services (16%) industries. LEADING INDUSTRIES OF EMPLOYMENT FOR PERSONS AGED 15-64 YEARS BY FIELD OF STUDY, 2000
(b) Includes people with qualifications whose fields were not stated, not codeable or inadequately described. Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey. Use of qualifications Although labour force outcomes are often related to skills acquired through qualifications, not all qualifications are obtained for this purpose, and ultimately may not be used for this purpose. While some individuals may find having a qualification improves their ability to find employment, this may not always be in an occupation related to their field of study. Furthermore, for a variety of reasons, individuals may choose not to participate in the labour force, for instance, while raising families, or if retiring early. It is not possible to detail the occupational use of qualifications for all fields of study, but it is possible in a few fields to illustrate direct linkages. In 2000, 77% of people with Natural and physical science qualifications were not in an occupation directly linked to their field of study. With relatively low proportions of people from this group not in the labour force (14%) and unemployed (4%), the largest proportion were working in occupations not directly related to science (59%).
The occupations of people with Computer science qualifications varied considerably, with 36% of this group employed in occupations that appeared directly connected with their qualifications. However, given the widespread use of information technology in the workplace, these qualifications are likely to have application across a broad range of occupations. Around 13% of people with Computer science qualifications were not in the labour force and 6% were unemployed. In 2000, 54% of people with school teacher training were working in fields directly associated with teaching, including 48% working as school teachers. Of all people with teaching qualifications, 16% were not in the labour force and 2% were unemployed. The proportion not in the labour force is partly related to the high numbers of females educated in this field of study. Of people with nursing qualifications, 55% were in occupations associated with nursing such as nursing professionals, enrolled nurses, or carers or aides. However, of all people with nursing qualifications, there was a high proportion not in the labour force (21% compared with an average of 15% for all people with qualifications). As with teaching, this partly reflects the high proportion of women with qualifications in this area. LABOUR FORCE CHARACTERISTICS OF PERSONS AGED 15-64 YEARS FOR SELECTED FIELDS OF STUDY, 2000
(b) Excluding Computer science, and Maths and statistics. Source: ABS 2000 Transition from Education to Work Survey.
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