Victoria University graduates struggle to find work after coronavirus

Graduates from some Melbourne universities fared better than others when it came to finding a job during lockdown. See how Victoria University’s cohort ranked and how their median salary compares.

Four in 10 Victoria University graduates from 2019 were still looking for work four months after completing their undergraduate degree, a new study shows.

Almost half of last year’s Victoria University undergraduates failed to land a job soon after finishing their degree.

And Victoria — where employment has been decimated by months of COVID-19 lockdowns — had the nation’s worst performing universities for job outcomes together with Western Australia, a new study shows.

Data compiled by the Federal Government shows about four in 10 of Victoria University’s 2019 undergraduate cohort were still hunting for full-time work within four months of completing their studies.

The full-time employment rate for new graduates was 57.8 per cent according to the figures, compared with 72.3 per cent at Monash University, which had the highest full-time employment rate of all Victorian universities with a headquarters based inside the state.

The University of Melbourne had the lowest employment rate of all Victorian universities at 57 per cent.

A Victoria University spokesperson said its graduates were more likely to work part-time or as contractors when they completed their studies, leading to the seemingly lower employment levels.

But they said the rate of students with full-time work caught up to the national average within three years.

Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan said the pandemic had a “major impact’’ on graduate employment rates.

Universities with full-time employment rates

Universities with full-time median salaries

University course offerings may affect the earning potential of graduates

But he said generally nine out of 10 Australian university graduates found full-time work within three years of graduating.

The survey, commissioned by the federal Department of Education, does not say if graduates found work in the same field they studied at university.

But it revealed Victoria University graduates earned a median full-time salary of $60,100, more than students from both RMIT and Melbourne University who earned $60,000 and $59,500 respectively.

It also noted graduates from regional universities were more likely to be older, and to study externally and part-time.

“(They) are more likely to have completed vocational degrees and … have also fared better in the current downturn,’’ it says.

The Education Department said the COVID-19 recession had cut full-time employment rates among most university graduates this year.

“Graduates from regional universities are more likely to be older, studying externally and part-time, and maintain a continuing connection with the labour market,’’ it says.

“(This) explains, in part, why graduates from these universities may have fared better in the current downturn.’’

The employment rates are based on graduates looking for full-time work, four months after finishing an undergraduate degree.

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