Graduate Outcomes Survey
The GOS is completed by graduates of Australian higher education institutions approximately four to six months after finishing their studies. The GOS measures short-term employment outcomes including skills utilisation, further study activities, and graduate satisfaction.
Target population
Recent graduates of Australian higher education institutions, at undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and postgraduate research levels
Responses
Over 117,000 recent graduates in 2024
Survey cycle
Conducted annually across three rounds, in November, February and May
2024 GOS Results Summary
Graduate employment outcomes experienced a broad decline in 2024 as labour market tightness continued to ease, but these levels remained above those observed before the pandemic. The full-time employment rate for domestic undergraduates fell from 79.0 per cent in 2023 to 74.0 per cent in 2024. This remains higher than the 2019 full time employment rate of 72.2 per cent. The overall undergraduate employment rate has also decreased, from 88.9 per cent to 86.9 per cent.
Further details are available in the 2024 GOS National Report and the data visualisation above.
Results for international graduates are available in the 2024 GOS International Report.
Download the latest reports
About the Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS)
The GOS is completed by graduates approximately four to six months after finishing their studies. It provides information on labour market outcomes and further study activities, including employment status, salaries, occupations and skills utilisation. The GOS has been administered annually since 2016 and includes recent graduates of Australian higher education institutions at undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and postgraduate research levels.
Results for domestic graduates are presented in the National Report, while the International Report compares outcomes for onshore international graduates with those of domestic graduates.
Definitions of employment outcomes are informed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources and Methods.
- Full-time employment: 35 hours or more per week across all jobs combined.
- Overall employment: One or more hours per week.
For more detail, refer to the latest 2024 GOS National Report.
Information on the ComparED website about graduate employment outcomes, salaries and satisfaction is sourced from the GOS, including responses from domestic undergraduate and postgraduate coursework level graduates. Survey results from the three most recent collection years are pooled to improve reliability. ComparED displays:
- Full-time employment rates
- Overall employment rates
- Median annual full-time salaries
- Further full-time study rates
In addition to employment outcomes, ComparED includes an Overall Satisfaction measure based on a single item from the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). Responses for this measure include domestic and international onshore graduates, at undergraduate and postgraduate coursework level pooled across the two most recent collection years.
Confidence intervals (90%) are displayed to indicate accuracy. For technical details, see GOS Methodology for ComparED website and CEQ Methodology for ComparED website.
Full-time employment
The proportion of graduates who were employed full-time.
Overall employment
The proportion of graduates who were in any kind of employment.
Median salary
The median salary level of graduates who were in full-time employment.
Full-time study
The proportion of graduates who were undertaking further full-time study, as a proportion of all graduates.
Overall satisfaction
The proportion of graduates who expressed overall satisfaction with their course, based on an individual survey question from the CEQ.