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.

The GOS is completed by graduates approximately four months after completion of their studies. It provides information on the labour market outcomes and further study activities of graduates. Employment data collected includes information on salaries, occupation and skills utilisation. The GOS has been administered annually since 2016.

Recent graduates of Australian higher education institutions are in scope for the GOS, including at undergraduate, postgraduate coursework and postgraduate research level. Information is collected for both domestic and onshore international graduates, however published results refer to domestic graduates only.

The definitions of graduate employment outcomes used by the GOS are informed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Labour Statistics: Concepts, Sources, and Methods. Full-time employment relates to graduates employed for 35 hours or more per week, across all their jobs combined. Overall employment relates to graduates employed for 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 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 data reliability. Three indicators of graduate labour force outcomes are displayed on the ComparED website:

1. Graduates in full-time employment
2. Graduates in overall employment
3. Graduates in full-time study

90 per cent confidence intervals are displayed to provide a measure of accuracy of the estimates. For technical details about the calculations used to score data derived from the GOS, please see the document, GOS Methodology for ComparED Website.

The CEQ provides information about the quality of higher education in Australia, by asking graduates to what extent they agree with a series of statements about their study experiences. It is administered annually in conjunction with the GOS. The CEQ is completed by undergraduate and postgraduate coursework level graduates of Australian higher education institutions, including both domestic and international onshore graduates.

From the 2021 GOS collection cycle, only one overall satisfaction item from the CEQ is being funded by the Department of Education. The CEQ in its entirety can be included by institutions on an opt-in basis, funded by individual institutions wanting to participate.

The ‘Overall satisfaction’ item from the CEQ is displayed on the ComparED website, including responses from both domestic and international onshore graduates, at undergraduate and postgraduate coursework level. Survey results from the two most recent collection years are pooled to improve the reliability of the information.

90 per cent confidence intervals are displayed to provide a measure of accuracy of the estimates. For technical details about the calculations used to score data derived from the CEQ, please see the document, CEQ Methodology for ComparED Website.