The engineering field in Australia
The engineering field in Australia is an exciting place for today’s graduates. Amidst positive forecasts of growth and revenue rises, and increasing graduate salaries, the only downside for industry is that there simply may not be enough engineering graduates to go around.
Engineering in Australia
Engineering graduate outcomes
Where do engineering graduates work?
The employment market for graduates
Skills shortages
Salaries
Find out more
Engineering in Australia
Forecasts by leading industry professionals predict that over the next 10 years more than $500 billion will be spent on infrastructure projects in Australia. Such projects, in areas like road, rail, electricity, water and telecommunications, are expected to require significant engineering resources.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ 2007 Year book Australia, the engineering and technology research field recorded the highest research and development expenditure by businesses in Australia (54%). In terms of government research and development, this field recorded the second highest expenditure, at $424 million or 17%. The engineering profession numbered 249,869 in the 2006 census, according to the ABS. Women made up nearly 10% of the profession.
Engineering graduate outcomes
According to the Graduate Careers Australia GradStats December 2007 survey, between 86-98% (depending on discipline) of engineering graduates were in full-time employment four months after graduating. The Good Universities Guide 2009 reports that 12% of the engineering graduates who finished their degree in 2007 went on to further study.
Where do engineering graduates work?
The Good Universities Guide 2009 reports that 53% of engineering graduates are employed in private industry, with 26% working in private practice, and 13% in the public sector.
The employment market for graduates
In the face of significant skills shortages the current employment market and outlook for engineering graduates is very positive. Employment rates are strong across the many engineering disciplines.
Beyond the graduate market
According to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations' (DEEWR) Australian jobs 2008, job prospects for engineers across the disciplines are good, and unemployment is below average to low. DEEWR reports that employment growth for the period 2012-13 will be slight to strong.
Skills shortages
The positive employment outlook for engineers is not surprising given that engineering is one of the professions in which there are currently major skills shortages throughout Australia. In particular, acute shortages of civil, mining, petroleum, mechanical, electrical, electronics and chemical engineers have resulted in their inclusion on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship’s Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL).
So intense is the problem that top industry professionals predict a shortage of up to 20,000 engineers within six years. Among other reasons, a shortage of qualified maths and science teachers in high schools has been blamed for an apparent increasing student disinterest in maths and science subjects. This translates into a level of uptake of engineering courses that is failing to satisfy the growth in the engineering sector, particularly in specific disciplines. In future years, positive graduate outcomes, strong employment and competitive salaries may help to encourage renewed enthusiasm.
Salaries
Salaries for engineering graduates have been increasing steadily in recent years. According to The Good Universities Guide 2009, at $51,887 engineering bachelor degree graduates in 2007 recorded the third highest starting salary among the different fields of study. This represents a 7.06% increase from the $48,463 averaged the year before. Engineers Australia's 2008 report, The engineering profession — a statistical overview, looked at engineering salaries from 1997-2007. The report found that over the review decade graduate engineer salaries in the private sector were on average 5% higher than average earnings. The report found that in the public sector graduates and engineers in the next two professional levels as defined by the Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA), were paid relatively better than in the private sector. However this changed from level three onwards, when private sector salaries overtook the public sector.
Find out more
Engineers Australia, www.engineersaustralia.org.au
Association of Professional Engineers, Scientists and Managers, Australia (APESMA) www.apesma.asn.au
Association of Consulting Engineers Australia (ACEA), www.acea.com.au