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Education and Work, Australia

Latest release

Data on engagement in work and/or study, current and recent study, qualifications, and transitions to work

Reference period

May 2024

Released

8/11/2024

Next release Unknown

Key statistics

Of people aged 15-74 years:

63% had a non-school qualification
79% with a non-school qualification, and 58% without, were employed
84% who finished a non-school qualification in 2023 were employed in 2024.

Of people aged 15-24 years:

62% were currently studying
9% were not engaged in any work or study.

Engagement in work and/or study

Fully and partially engaged in work and/or study

A person who is either working full-time, studying full-time, or both working and studying is fully engaged. A person who is working part-time only, or studying part-time only, is partially engaged. This includes those enrolled in school.

In 2024:

Just over 12 million people (61%) aged 15-74 years were fully engaged in work, study, or both
71% of men were fully engaged
51% of women were fully engaged.

1. Fully engaged in work and/or study, by age groups and sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
15–19	86.3	86.6	86.6
20–24	75.4	74.8	75.1
25–29	82.1	65.8	73.8
30–34	83.9	57.9	70.7
35–39	84.1	52.3	68.0
40–44	84.2	53.1	68.4
45–49	81.5	57.6	69.3
50–54	78.1	53.9	65.4
55–59	68.2	45.6	56.7
60–64	50.0	26.8	38.3
65–74	18.1	7.0	12.3
Total (15–74)	70.9	51.1	60.9

1. Fully engaged in work and/or study, by age groups and sex(a)

["","Male","Female","Persons"]

[["15\u201319","20\u201324","25\u201329","30\u201334","35\u201339","40\u201344","45\u201349","50\u201354","55\u201359","60\u201364","65\u201374","Total (15\u201374)"],[[86.299999999999997],[75.400000000000006],[82.099999999999994],[83.900000000000006],[84.099999999999994],[84.200000000000003],[81.5],[78.099999999999994],[68.200000000000003],[50],[18.100000000000001],[70.900000000000006]],[[86.599999999999994],[74.799999999999997],[65.799999999999997],[57.899999999999999],[52.299999999999997],[53.100000000000001],[57.600000000000001],[53.899999999999999],[45.600000000000001],[26.800000000000001],[7],[51.100000000000001]],[[86.599999999999994],[75.099999999999994],[73.799999999999997],[70.700000000000003],[68],[68.400000000000006],[69.299999999999997],[65.400000000000006],[56.700000000000003],[38.299999999999997],[12.300000000000001],[60.899999999999999]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 16

People aged 15-24 years were the most likely to be fully engaged in work and/or study (81%) with similar proportions for both males and females (both 81%).

Of people aged 15-24 years, 11% were partially engaged in work or study.

2. People aged 15-24 years engaged in work and/or study, by sex(a)
	Fully engaged (%)	Partially engaged (%)	Not engaged in study or employment (%)
Male	80.6	10.6	8.9
Female	80.5	11.4	8.1
Persons	80.6	10.9	8.5

2. People aged 15-24 years engaged in work and/or study, by sex(a)

["","Fully engaged","Partially engaged","Not engaged in study or employment"]

[["Male","Female","Persons"],[[80.599999999999994],[80.5],[80.599999999999994]],[[10.6],[11.4],[10.9]],[[8.9000000000000004],[8.0999999999999996],[8.5]]]

[]

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(a) Includes school level study.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 15

The proportion of people aged 15-24 years who were fully engaged ranged from 88% in the Australian Capital Territory to 76% in Queensland.

3. People aged 15-24 years fully engaged in work and/or study, by state and territory
	Persons fully engaged (%)
NSW	82.0
Vic.	81.7
Qld	76.0
SA	77.6
WA	83.0
Tas.	78.5
NT	79.6
ACT	87.9
Aust.	80.6

3. People aged 15-24 years fully engaged in work and/or study, by state and territory

["","Persons fully engaged"]

[["NSW","Vic.","Qld","SA","WA","Tas.","NT","ACT","Aust."],[[82],[81.700000000000003],[76],[77.599999999999994],[83],[78.5],[79.599999999999994],[87.900000000000006],[80.599999999999994]]]

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Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 16

In 2024, of people aged 15-24 years:

51% were fully engaged primarily through full-time study compared with 49% in 2023
25% were fully engaged primarily through full-time work compared with 28% in 2023.

Not engaged in work or study

9% of all people aged 15-24 years were not engaged in any work or study in 2024, similar to 2023.

4. People aged 15-24 years not engaged in work or study(a)
	15-24 years (%)
2015	9.9
2016	8.8
2017	9.0
2018	9.0
2019	8.4
2020	12.2
2021	8.5
2022	7.6
2023	7.7
2024	8.5

4. People aged 15-24 years not engaged in work or study(a)

["","15-24 years"]

[["2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024"],[[9.9000000000000004],[8.8000000000000007],[9],[9],[8.4000000000000004],[12.199999999999999],[8.5],[7.5999999999999996],[7.7000000000000002],[8.5]]]

[]

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(a) Includes school level study.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 15

Current and recent study

Currently enrolled in study

In 2024:

Nearly 3.2 million people aged 15-74 years (16%) were currently studying, including school students
30% of these current students were at school, while 42% were at higher education institutions, 16% were studying at technical and further education (TAFE) institutions, and 12% were studying at other education or training institutions
69% of current students (including school students) were enrolled in full-time study.

5. Currently enrolled in study, by age groups and sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
15–19	81.2	83.3	82.3
20–24	40.1	48.1	44.0
25–29	14.9	18.3	16.5
30–34	10.3	13.1	11.7
35–39	6.7	10.8	8.8
40–44	4.5	9.0	6.8
45–49	3.5	7.6	5.7
50–54	2.9	5.3	4.0
55–74	0.9	1.6	1.3
Total (15–74)	15.1	17.2	16.1

5. Currently enrolled in study, by age groups and sex(a)

["","Male","Female","Persons"]

[["15\u201319","20\u201324","25\u201329","30\u201334","35\u201339","40\u201344","45\u201349","50\u201354","55\u201374","Total (15\u201374)"],[[81.200000000000003],[40.100000000000001],[14.9],[10.300000000000001],[6.7000000000000002],[4.5],[3.5],[2.8999999999999999],[0.90000000000000002],[15.1]],[[83.299999999999997],[48.100000000000001],[18.300000000000001],[13.1],[10.800000000000001],[9],[7.5999999999999996],[5.2999999999999998],[1.6000000000000001],[17.199999999999999]],[[82.299999999999997],[44],[16.5],[11.699999999999999],[8.8000000000000007],[6.7999999999999998],[5.7000000000000002],[4],[1.3],[16.100000000000001]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 11

In 2024, the proportion of persons aged 15-74 years currently enrolled in study ranged across states and territories, from 18% in the Australian Capital Territory to 13% in Tasmania.

6. Currently enrolled in study, by sex and state or territory(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
NSW	15.8	17.6	16.6
Vic.	15.3	17.6	16.5
Qld	13.8	16.5	15.2
SA	14.2	15.8	15.1
WA	15.4	17.3	16.4
Tas.	12.1	14.5	13.4
NT	15.9	16.6	16.2
ACT	16.7	19.1	17.9
Aust.	15.1	17.2	16.1

6. Currently enrolled in study, by sex and state or territory(a)

["","Male","Female","Persons"]

[["NSW","Vic.","Qld","SA","WA","Tas.","NT","ACT","Aust."],[[15.800000000000001],[15.300000000000001],[13.800000000000001],[14.199999999999999],[15.4],[12.1],[15.9],[16.699999999999999],[15.1]],[[17.600000000000001],[17.600000000000001],[16.5],[15.800000000000001],[17.300000000000001],[14.5],[16.600000000000001],[19.100000000000001],[17.199999999999999]],[[16.600000000000001],[16.5],[15.199999999999999],[15.1],[16.399999999999999],[13.4],[16.199999999999999],[17.899999999999999],[16.100000000000001]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 1

Young people and school leavers

In 2024:

62% of people aged 15-24 years were at school or enrolled in further study, similar to 61% in 2023 and 63% in 2022
42% of people aged 20-24 years were studying towards a non-school qualification at certificate III level or above.

Of school leavers aged 15-20 years who had finished year 12 or equivalent in 2023:

61% were studying for a non-school qualification in 2024, compared with 42% who had left school in 2023 with qualifications at year 11 or below
25% had undertaken vocational education and training (VET) as part of their previous school studies.

Studying for a non-school qualification (certificate, diploma, or degree)

In 2024, 2.3 million people (11%) aged 15-74 years were currently studying for a non-school qualification.

Of these:

320,400 people were undertaking a postgraduate degree
854,000 were studying for a bachelor degree
512,700 were studying for a certificate III or IV.

Fields of study

Of students who were currently studying for a non-school qualification:

22% were studying for a qualification in the field of society and culture
18% were studying management and commerce
16% were studying health
11% were studying engineering and related technologies.

Female students were more likely to study in the fields of society and culture, and health whereas male students were more likely to study engineering and related technologies.

7. Field of current study for a non-school qualification, by sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
Natural & physical sciences	4.9	4.2	4.5
Information technology	8.6	2.3	5.1
Engineering & related technologies	20.0	3.1	10.6
Architecture & building	10.0	1.6	5.2
Agriculture, environmental & related	1.7	1.7	1.7
Health	8.2	21.0	15.5
Education	3.9	11.0	7.8
Management & commerce	17.9	17.6	17.7
Society & culture	17.2	26.3	22.3
Creative arts	3.4	5.1	4.3
Food, hospitality & personal services	2.8	3.7	3.2

7. Field of current study for a non-school qualification, by sex(a)

["","Male","Female","Persons"]

[["Natural & physical sciences","Information technology","Engineering & related technologies","Architecture & building","Agriculture, environmental & related","Health","Education","Management & commerce","Society & culture","Creative arts","Food, hospitality & personal services"],[[4.9000000000000004],[8.5999999999999996],[20],[10],[1.7],[8.1999999999999993],[3.8999999999999999],[17.899999999999999],[17.199999999999999],[3.3999999999999999],[2.7999999999999998]],[[4.2000000000000002],[2.2999999999999998],[3.1000000000000001],[1.6000000000000001],[1.7],[21],[11],[17.600000000000001],[26.300000000000001],[5.0999999999999996],[3.7000000000000002]],[[4.5],[5.0999999999999996],[10.6],[5.2000000000000002],[1.7],[15.5],[7.7999999999999998],[17.699999999999999],[22.300000000000001],[4.2999999999999998],[3.2000000000000002]]]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years who were studying for a non-school qualification.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 5

Apprentices and trainees

Of people aged 15-74 years who were employed as apprentices or trainees (excluding school based apprentices or trainees):

36% were aged 15-19 years
35% were aged 20-24 years
75% were male
40% had started their apprenticeship or traineeship in the last 12 months
15% were born overseas
59% of people's usual residence was in a greater capital city area
26% were employed within the construction field followed by 21% within the electrotechnology and telecommunications field.

Qualifications held

Qualifications at year 12 or certificate III level or above

In 2024, of people aged 20-24 years:

90% had attained a qualification at year 12 or certificate III level or above
93% of women held qualifications at this level, compared with 87% of men
84% or more in each state and territory held qualifications at this level.

8. People aged 20-24 years with year 12 or certificate III level or above, by state or territory
	Persons with year 12 or certificate III level or above (%)
NSW	89.2
Vic.	91.6
Qld	89.6
SA	85.6
WA	94.4
Tas.	84.0
NT	89.8
ACT	94.1
Aust.	90.0

8. People aged 20-24 years with year 12 or certificate III level or above, by state or territory

["","Persons with year 12 or certificate III level or above"]

[["NSW","Vic.","Qld","SA","WA","Tas.","NT","ACT","Aust."],[[89.200000000000003],[91.599999999999994],[89.599999999999994],[85.599999999999994],[94.400000000000006],[84],[89.799999999999997],[94.099999999999994],[90]]]

[]

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[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"(%)","table_units":"(%)","axis_min":"0","axis_max":"100","tick_interval":"20","precision":"1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 20

Non-school qualifications

Attained or studying for a non-school qualification

In 2024, of people aged 15-74 years:

63% had attained a non-school qualification (certificate, diploma, or degree), the same proportion as in 2023
11% were currently studying for a non-school qualification.

Non-school qualifications held

In 2024, the proportion of women aged 15-74 years with a non-school qualification was 64% and 63% for men.

9. Non-school qualifications, by sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)
2014	58.7	55.5
2015	60.1	57.4
2016	59.9	58.0
2017	60.5	58.7
2018	60.5	59.7
2019	61.2	60.7
2020	62.0	62.0
2021	62.6	62.0
2022	63.1	63.3
2023	62.4	64.0
2024	63.0	63.6

9. Non-school qualifications, by sex(a)

["","Male","Female"]

[["2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023","2024"],[[58.700000000000003],[60.100000000000001],[59.899999999999999],[60.5],[60.5],[61.200000000000003],[62],[62.600000000000001],[63.100000000000001],[62.399999999999999],[63]],[[55.5],[57.399999999999999],[58],[58.700000000000003],[59.700000000000003],[60.700000000000003],[62],[62],[63.299999999999997],[64],[63.600000000000001]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 26

There were 48% of women aged 20-24 years and 78% of women aged 25-29 years who held a non-school qualification. This was significantly higher than men from the same age groups (42% and 72%, respectively).

Conversely, men between the age range of 60-64 years and 65-74 years were more likely to hold a non-school qualification than women in the same age ranges (66% and 61% compared with 57% and 51%, respectively).

10. Non-school qualifications, by age groups and sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)
15-19	7.8	8.8
20-24	41.7	47.5
25-29	71.5	77.7
30-34	77.5	81.5
35-39	76.4	81.4
40-44	75.7	79.4
45-49	75.7	75.0
50-54	71.2	69.5
55-59	66.6	64.4
60-64	65.7	57.3
65-74	61.3	50.5
Total (15-74)	63.0	63.6

10. Non-school qualifications, by age groups and sex(a)

["","Male","Female"]

[["15-19","20-24","25-29","30-34","35-39","40-44","45-49","50-54","55-59","60-64","65-74","Total (15-74)"],[[7.7999999999999998],[41.700000000000003],[71.5],[77.5],[76.400000000000006],[75.700000000000003],[75.700000000000003],[71.200000000000003],[66.599999999999994],[65.700000000000003],[61.299999999999997],[63]],[[8.8000000000000007],[47.5],[77.700000000000003],[81.5],[81.400000000000006],[79.400000000000006],[75],[69.5],[64.400000000000006],[57.299999999999997],[50.5],[63.600000000000001]]]

[]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"Age range (years)","axis_units":"","tooltip_units":"","table_units":"","axis_min":null,"axis_max":null,"tick_interval":null,"precision":"-1","data_unit_prefix":"","data_unit_suffix":"","reverse_axis":false}]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 25

Non-school qualifications at bachelor degree level or above

In 2024, of people aged 15-74 years:

33% held a bachelor degree or above
37% of women aged 15-74 years held a bachelor degree or above, compared with 30% of men.

The Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of people with a bachelor degree or above (49%) of all state and territories.

Those aged 25-34 years were more likely to have a bachelor degree or above than those aged 65-74 years (47% compared with 23%).

11. People with a bachelor degree or above as their highest qualification, by age groups and sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
15-24	9.0	13.4	11.2
25-34	40.8	53.7	47.2
35-44	41.2	52.0	46.7
45-54	34.8	41.4	38.0
55-64	26.0	27.8	26.9
65-74	22.7	23.4	23.1
Total (15-74)	29.7	36.9	33.4

11. People with a bachelor degree or above as their highest qualification, by age groups and sex(a)

["","Male","Female","Persons"]

[["15-24","25-34","35-44","45-54","55-64","65-74","Total (15-74)"],[[9],[40.799999999999997],[41.200000000000003],[34.799999999999997],[26],[22.699999999999999],[29.699999999999999]],[[13.4],[53.700000000000003],[52],[41.399999999999999],[27.800000000000001],[23.399999999999999],[36.899999999999999]],[[11.199999999999999],[47.200000000000003],[46.700000000000003],[38],[26.899999999999999],[23.100000000000001],[33.399999999999999]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 35

Education and employment

Transition from study to work

In 2024, of people aged 15-74 years who had completed a non-school qualification in 2023:

84% were employed
5% were unemployed and looking for work.

There were 65% of people aged 15-20 years who had finished year 12 in 2023 who were employed in 2024. This was a decrease from the 76% in 2023. Of these school leavers:

6% were studying while working full-time
34% were studying while working part-time.

Non-school qualifications and employment

People aged 15-74 years with a non-school qualification (degree, diploma, or certificate) were more likely to be employed (79%) than those without a non-school qualification (58%).

The higher the qualification, the more likely people were to work full-time:

78% of men with a postgraduate degree worked full-time, compared with 43% without a non-school qualification
59% of women with a postgraduate degree worked full-time, compared with 23% without a non-school qualification.

12. Labour force status by non-school qualifications, by sex(a)
	Employed full-time (%)	Employed part-time (%)	Unemployed (%)	Not in labour force (%)
Males - with Postgraduate Degree	77.5	11.5	2.2	9.2
Males - with Non-School Qualification	70.4	12.0	2.2	15.5
Males - without Non-School Qualification	43.1	19.9	4.8	32.2
Females - with Postgraduate Degree	58.7	25.3	2.7	13.3
Females - with Non-School Qualification	46.8	29.7	2.3	21.2
Females - without Non-School Qualification	23.1	29.5	3.4	44.0

12. Labour force status by non-school qualifications, by sex(a)

["","Employed \nfull-time","Employed \npart-time","Unemployed","Not in labour force"]

[["Males - with Postgraduate Degree","Males - with Non-School Qualification","Males - without Non-School Qualification","Females - with Postgraduate Degree","Females - with Non-School Qualification","Females - without Non-School Qualification"],[[77.5],[70.400000000000006],[43.100000000000001],[58.700000000000003],[46.799999999999997],[23.100000000000001]],[[11.5],[12],[19.899999999999999],[25.300000000000001],[29.699999999999999],[29.5]],[[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[4.7999999999999998],[2.7000000000000002],[2.2999999999999998],[3.3999999999999999]],[[9.1999999999999993],[15.5],[32.200000000000003],[13.300000000000001],[21.199999999999999],[44]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 22

Skill level of occupation

Of people aged 15 to 74 years with a non-school qualification:

45% worked in Skill level 1 jobs (the highest skill level, including occupations such as pharmacists, architects, school principals, farm managers, and arts professionals)
12% worked in Skill level 2 jobs (including occupations such as restaurant managers, finance brokers, medical lab technicians and welfare support workers)
13% worked in Skill level 3 jobs (including occupations such as plumbers, hairdressers and butchers)
22% worked in Skill level 4 jobs (including occupations such as receptionists, delivery drivers, and miners).

Most people without a non-school qualification worked in either Skill level 4 or Skill level 5 jobs (35% and 29% respectively).

13. Skill level of occupation by whether person holds a non-school qualification(a)
	With a non-school qualification (%)	Without non-school qualification (%)
Skill level 1 (highest)	44.6	12.4
Skill level 2	12.1	9.7
Skill level 3	13.2	13.0
Skill level 4	22.0	34.8
Skill level 5 (lowest)	7.6	29.4

13. Skill level of occupation by whether person holds a non-school qualification(a)

["","With a non-school qualification","Without non-school qualification"]

[["Skill level 1 (highest)","Skill level 2","Skill level 3","Skill level 4","Skill level 5  (lowest)"],[[44.600000000000001],[12.1],[13.199999999999999],[22],[7.5999999999999996]],[[12.4],[9.6999999999999993],[13],[34.799999999999997],[29.399999999999999]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2024, Table 32

For further information about skill level, refer to the Glossary in the Methodology.

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