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Education and Work, Australia

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

Reference period

May 2023

Released

1/11/2023

View all releases

Key statistics

Of people aged 15-74 years:

63% had a non-school qualification
80% with a non-school qualification, and 58% without, were employed
85% who finished a non-school qualification in 2022 were employed in 2023.

Of people aged 15-24 years:

61% were currently studying
8% 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. These include those enrolled in school.

In 2023:

61% of people aged 15-74 years (11.9 million) 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	87.1	87.7	87.3
20-24	79.6	75.8	77.4
25-29	81.9	69.6	75.8
30-34	85.6	57.7	71.6
35-39	85.1	52.8	68.8
40-44	82.8	55.3	69.0
45-49	82.1	56.9	69.3
50-54	76.3	52.1	64.1
55-59	70.5	42.5	56.5
60-64	49.8	26.7	38.2
65-74	16.1	6.9	11.5
Total (15-74)	71.1	51.2	61.1

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

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

[["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)"],[[87.099999999999994],[79.599999999999994],[81.900000000000006],[85.599999999999994],[85.099999999999994],[82.799999999999997],[82.099999999999994],[76.299999999999997],[70.5],[49.799999999999997],[16.100000000000001],[71.099999999999994]],[[87.700000000000003],[75.799999999999997],[69.599999999999994],[57.700000000000003],[52.799999999999997],[55.299999999999997],[56.899999999999999],[52.100000000000001],[42.5],[26.699999999999999],[6.9000000000000004],[51.200000000000003]],[[87.299999999999997],[77.400000000000006],[75.799999999999997],[71.599999999999994],[68.799999999999997],[69],[69.299999999999997],[64.099999999999994],[56.5],[38.200000000000003],[11.5],[61.100000000000001]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 16

People aged 15-24 years were the most likely to be fully engaged in work and/or study (82%), with similar proportions for both men (83%) and women (82%).

Of people aged 15-24 years, 10% were partially engaged in work and/or study.

2. People aged 15-24 years engaged in work and/or study, by sex
	Fully engaged (%)	Partially engaged (%)	Not engaged in study or employment (%)
Male	82.7	8.8	8.3
Female	81.5	11.6	7.2
Persons	82.1	10.1	7.7

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

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

[["Male","Female","Persons"],[[82.700000000000003],[81.5],[82.099999999999994]],[[8.8000000000000007],[11.6],[10.1]],[[8.3000000000000007],[7.2000000000000002],[7.7000000000000002]]]

[]

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Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 15

People aged 15-24 years were fully engaged at similar proportions across states and territories, ranging from 86% in the Australian Capital Territory to 79% in South Australia.

3. People aged 15-24 years fully engaged in work and/or study, by state and territory
	Persons fully engaged (%)
NSW	83.5
Vic.	83.7
Qld	79.6
SA	78.8
WA	79.5
Tas.	80.0
NT	82.6
ACT	85.7
Aust	82.1

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"],[[83.5],[83.700000000000003],[79.599999999999994],[78.799999999999997],[79.5],[80],[82.599999999999994],[85.700000000000003],[82.099999999999994]]]

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Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 16

In 2023, for people aged 15-24 years:

49% were fully engaged primarily through full-time study compared with 50% in 2022
28% were fully engaged primarily through full-time work compared with 26% in 2022.

Not engaged in work or study

8% of all people aged 15-24 years were not engaged in any work or study in 2023, which is consistent with 2022.

4. People aged 15-24 years not engaged in work or study
	15-24 years (%)
2014	10.2
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

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

["","15-24 years"]

[["2014","2015","2016","2017","2018","2019","2020","2021","2022","2023"],[[10.199999999999999],[9.9000000000000004],[8.8000000000000007],[9],[9],[8.4000000000000004],[12.199999999999999],[8.5],[7.5999999999999996],[7.7000000000000002]]]

[]

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Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 15

Current and recent study

Currently enrolled in study

In 2023:

Just over 3 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, 17% were studying at technical and further education (TAFE) institutions, and 12% were studying at other education or training institutions
67% 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	80.5	81.7	81.0
20-24	42.3	43.8	42.9
25-29	16.9	19.4	18.2
30-34	8.6	12.5	10.6
35-39	7.6	10.6	9.3
40-44	5.3	9.3	7.3
45-49	4.1	6.5	5.3
50-54	2.9	6.2	4.7
55-74	1.2	1.5	1.3
Total (15-74)	15.1	16.4	15.8

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

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

[["15-19","20-24","25-29","30-34","35-39","40-44","45-49","50-54","55-74","Total \n(15-74)"],[[80.5],[42.299999999999997],[16.899999999999999],[8.5999999999999996],[7.5999999999999996],[5.2999999999999998],[4.0999999999999996],[2.8999999999999999],[1.2],[15.1]],[[81.700000000000003],[43.799999999999997],[19.399999999999999],[12.5],[10.6],[9.3000000000000007],[6.5],[6.2000000000000002],[1.5],[16.399999999999999]],[[81],[42.899999999999999],[18.199999999999999],[10.6],[9.3000000000000007],[7.2999999999999998],[5.2999999999999998],[4.7000000000000002],[1.3],[15.800000000000001]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 11

In 2023, the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory had the highest proportions of persons aged 15-74 years currently enrolled in study (both 18%), while Tasmania and Western Australia had the lowest (both 14%).

6. Currently enrolled in study, by sex and state and territory(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
NSW	15.9	17.0	16.5
Vic.	16.0	16.9	16.4
Qld	14.0	15.7	14.9
SA	14.9	14.9	14.9
WA	12.7	15.6	14.1
Tas.	13.1	15.0	13.8
NT	16.9	20.0	17.9
ACT	16.4	20.1	18.3
Aust.	15.1	16.4	15.8

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

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

[["NSW","Vic.","Qld","SA","WA","Tas.","NT","ACT","Aust."],[[15.9],[16],[14],[14.9],[12.699999999999999],[13.1],[16.899999999999999],[16.399999999999999],[15.1]],[[17],[16.899999999999999],[15.699999999999999],[14.9],[15.6],[15],[20],[20.100000000000001],[16.399999999999999]],[[16.5],[16.399999999999999],[14.9],[14.9],[14.1],[13.800000000000001],[17.899999999999999],[18.300000000000001],[15.800000000000001]]]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 1

Young people and school leavers

In 2023:

61% of people aged 15-24 years were at school or enrolled in further study compared with 63% in 2022 and 65% in 2021
40% of people aged 20-24 years were studying towards a non-school qualification at certificate III level or above
58% of school leavers aged 15-20 years who had finished year 12 in 2022 were studying for a non-school qualification in 2023.

Of school leavers aged 15-20 years who had finished in 2022 with qualifications at year 11 or below:

36% were studying for a non-school qualification in 2023, down from 42% in 2022
21% 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 2023, 2.2 million people aged 15-74 years (11%) were currently studying for a non-school qualification.

Of these:

311,500 people were undertaking a postgraduate degree
815,700 were studying for a bachelor degree
510,000 were studying for a certificate III or IV.

Fields of study

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

21% were studying for a qualification in the field of society and culture
17% 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 field of society and culture, and health than male students 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)
	Males (%)	Females (%)	Persons (%)
Natural & physical sciences	3.5	5.5	4.5
Information technology	10.4	2.1	5.9
Engineering & related technologies	21.2	3.2	11.3
Architecture & building	10.3	1.4	5.7
Agriculture & environmental studies	2.0	1.7	1.9
Health	10.4	20.7	15.8
Education	4.4	9.1	6.8
Management and commerce	15.9	17.4	16.7
Society & culture	12.9	27.8	20.7
Creative arts	4.2	5.5	4.7
Food, hospitality & personal services	2.6	3.4	3.1

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

["","Males","Females","Persons"]

[["Natural & physical sciences","Information technology","Engineering & related technologies","Architecture & building","Agriculture & environmental studies","Health","Education","Management and commerce","Society & culture","Creative arts","Food, hospitality & personal services"],[[3.5],[10.4],[21.199999999999999],[10.300000000000001],[2],[10.4],[4.4000000000000004],[15.9],[12.9],[4.2000000000000002],[2.6000000000000001]],[[5.5],[2.1000000000000001],[3.2000000000000002],[1.3999999999999999],[1.7],[20.699999999999999],[9.0999999999999996],[17.399999999999999],[27.800000000000001],[5.5],[3.3999999999999999]],[[4.5],[5.9000000000000004],[11.300000000000001],[5.7000000000000002],[1.8999999999999999],[15.800000000000001],[6.7999999999999998],[16.699999999999999],[20.699999999999999],[4.7000000000000002],[3.1000000000000001]]]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years who were studying for a non-school qualification.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 5

Apprentices and trainees

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

35% were aged 15-19 years
38% were aged 20-24 years
81% were male
50% had started their apprenticeship or traineeship in the last 12 months
16% were born overseas
53% of people's usual residence was in a greater capital city area.

Of people aged 15-74 years, 39% gained a place for an apprenticeship or traineeship but were not undertaking as of May 2023.

Qualifications held

Qualifications at year 12 or certificate III level or above

In 2023, 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
87% or above in all states and territories held qualifications at this level.

8. People aged 20-24 years with year 12 or certificate III or above, by state and territory
	Persons with year 12 or certificate III level or above (%)
NSW	86.7
Vic.	91.0
Qld	92.2
SA	89.9
WA	90.7
Tas.	86.5
NT	96.4
ACT	97.2
Aust.	89.6

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

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

[["NSW","Vic.","Qld","SA","WA","Tas.","NT","ACT","Aust."],[[86.700000000000003],[91],[92.200000000000003],[89.900000000000006],[90.700000000000003],[86.5],[96.400000000000006],[97.200000000000003],[89.599999999999994]]]

[]

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Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 20

Non-school qualifications

Attained or studying for a non-school qualification

In 2023, of people aged 15-74 years:

63% had attained a non-school qualification (certificate, diploma, or degree), the same proportion as for 2022
11% were currently studying for a non-school qualification.

Non-school qualifications held

In 2023, the proportion of women aged 15-74 years with a non-school qualification was higher than for men (64% compared with 62%) and has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years.

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

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

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

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

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 25

The proportions of attainment differed by age group, with men aged 55 to 74 years more likely to hold a non-school qualification than women of the same age.

Conversely, women between the ages of 15 to 54 years were more likely to hold a non-school qualification than men in the same age range.

10. Non-school qualifications, by age groups and sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)
15-19	6.6	9.0
20-24	42.2	50.0
25-29	71.1	78.6
30-34	75.6	81.7
35-39	77.7	81.3
40-44	75.3	76.7
45-49	74.3	76.3
50-54	67.9	68.3
55-59	68.1	65.1
60-64	63.2	59.0
65-74	59.0	50.6
Total (15-74)	62.4	64.0

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)"],[[6.5999999999999996],[42.200000000000003],[71.099999999999994],[75.599999999999994],[77.700000000000003],[75.299999999999997],[74.299999999999997],[67.900000000000006],[68.099999999999994],[63.200000000000003],[59],[62.399999999999999]],[[9],[50],[78.599999999999994],[81.700000000000003],[81.299999999999997],[76.700000000000003],[76.299999999999997],[68.299999999999997],[65.099999999999994],[59],[50.600000000000001],[64]]]

[]

[{"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}]

[{"value":"0","axis_id":"0","axis_title":"%","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}]

(a) All persons aged 15-74.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 25

Non-school qualifications at bachelor degree level or above

In 2023, of people aged 15-74 years:

32% held a bachelor degree or above
36% of women aged 15-74 years held a bachelor degree or above, compared with 28% of men.

The Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of people with a bachelor degree or above (47%) of all state and territories.

More women than men held a bachelor degree or above in all age groups, with:

one in every two women aged 25-34 (52%) and 35-44 years (50%) having a qualification at this level.

11. People with a bachelor degree or above as their highest qualification, by age groups and sex(a)
	Male (%)	Female (%)	Persons (%)
15-24	7.8	13.9	10.7
25-34	38.4	51.6	45.1
35-44	38.9	49.7	44.4
45-54	33.2	39.3	36.3
55-64	24.2	28.3	26.3
65-74	21.2	22.9	22.0
Total (15-74)	28.1	35.7	31.9

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)"],[[7.7999999999999998],[38.399999999999999],[38.899999999999999],[33.200000000000003],[24.199999999999999],[21.199999999999999],[28.100000000000001]],[[13.9],[51.600000000000001],[49.700000000000003],[39.299999999999997],[28.300000000000001],[22.899999999999999],[35.700000000000003]],[[10.699999999999999],[45.100000000000001],[44.399999999999999],[36.299999999999997],[26.300000000000001],[22],[31.899999999999999]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 35

Education and employment

Transition from study to work

In 2023, of people aged 15-74 years who had completed a non-school qualification in 2022:

85% were employed
5% were unemployed and looking for work.

Three-quarters (76%) of people aged 15-20 years who had finished year 12 in 2022 were employed in 2023. Of these school leavers:

8% were studying while working full-time
35% 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 (80%) than those without a non-school qualification (58%).

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

77% of men with a postgraduate degree worked full-time, compared with 44% without a non-school qualification
61% of women with a postgraduate degree worked full-time, compared with 24% 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	77.4	10.2	2.2	9.7
Males - with non-school qualification	71.5	11.1	2.2	15.2
Males - without a non-school qualification	44.2	19.1	3.8	32.8
Females - with postgraduate degree	60.5	23.0	2.2	14.0
Females - with non-school qualification	47.7	29.0	2.2	21.2
Females - without a non-school qualification	24.4	28.5	2.7	44.5

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 a non-school qualification","Females - with postgraduate degree","Females - with non-school qualification","Females - without a non-school qualification"],[[77.400000000000006],[71.5],[44.200000000000003],[60.5],[47.700000000000003],[24.399999999999999]],[[10.199999999999999],[11.1],[19.100000000000001],[23],[29],[28.5]],[[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[3.7999999999999998],[2.2000000000000002],[2.2000000000000002],[2.7000000000000002]],[[9.6999999999999993],[15.199999999999999],[32.799999999999997],[14],[21.199999999999999],[44.5]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 22

Skill level of occupation

People aged 15 to 74 years with non-school qualifications were more likely to work in jobs with higher skill levels:

44% 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 qualification worked in either Skill level 4 or Skill level 5 jobs (34% and 31% respectively).

Graph 13. Skill level of occupation by whether person holds a non-school qualification(a)
	With non-school qualification (%)	Without non-school qualification (%)
Skill level 1 (highest)	43.8	12.4
Skill level 2	12.2	9.6
Skill level 3	13.4	13.1
Skill level 4	21.7	33.5
Skill level 5 (lowest)	8.4	30.5

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

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

[["Skill level 1 (highest)","Skill level 2","Skill level 3","Skill level 4","Skill level 5  (lowest)"],[[43.799999999999997],[12.199999999999999],[13.4],[21.699999999999999],[8.4000000000000004]],[[12.4],[9.5999999999999996],[13.1],[33.5],[30.5]]]

[]

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(a) All persons aged 15-74 years.
Source: Education and Work, Australia, 2023, Table 32

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