Tables
| Qualification Group | 1986 | 1991 | 1996 | 2001 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: Employed Workers | ||||
| Higher degree | 2.9 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 4.8 |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.7 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 10.3 |
| Other post-school qual | 32.7 | 38.6 | 31.2 | 23.9 |
| Higher school qual | 2.2 | 2.6 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| 6th form qual | 7.2 | 6.9 | 9.5 | 11.1 |
| School certificate | 12.5 | 11.5 | 12.5 | 14.8 |
| Other school qual | 0.4 | 1.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 |
| No qual | 32.9 | 25.9 | 24.2 | 18.5 |
| Not specified | 4.4 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 6.6 |
| Employed Totals | 1,288,389 | 1,242,210 | 1,420,155 | 1,483,074 |
| Average Income | $29,120 | $31,461 | $32,579 | $34,964 |
| Total reporting Income | 1,261,749 | 1,222,578 | 1,360,005 | 1,418,496 |
| B: Unemployed | ||||
| Higher degree | 1.4 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Bachelor's degree | 3.5 | 4.2 | 6.0 | 6.7 |
| Other post-school qual | 19.0 | 30.8 | 21.4 | 16.4 |
| Higher school qual | 4.4 | 3.4 | 5.1 | 5.7 |
| 6th form qual | 6.5 | 5.7 | 6.5 | 7.6 |
| School certificate | 13.3 | 11.4 | 10.3 | 12.1 |
| Other school qual | 0.5 | 1.6 | 6.7 | 6.4 |
| No qual | 45.3 | 37.3 | 39.3 | 29.7 |
| Not specified | 6.2 | 4.1 | 2.0 | 12.6 |
| Unemployed Totals | 69,624 | 124,944 | 103,821 | 102,585 |
| Average Income | $10,347 | $12,058 | $11,524 | $11,606 |
| Total reporting Income | 61,869 | 117,537 | 93,150 | 88,872 |
| C: Not in the Labour Force | ||||
| Higher degree | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.2 |
| Bachelor's degree | 2.5 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 5.9 |
| Other post-school qual | 17.2 | 21.8 | 19.1 | 13.6 |
| Higher school qual | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.6 | 5.9 |
| 6th form qual | 5.9 | 5.2 | 6.9 | 8.5 |
| School certificate | 12.9 | 11.1 | 10.6 | 12.3 |
| Other school qual | 0.6 | 2.3 | 8.0 | 9.2 |
| No qual | 46.0 | 42.8 | 42.1 | 29.9 |
| Not specified | 10.9 | 9.2 | 2.7 | 12.5 |
| Not in LF Totals | 329,277 | 417,462 | 380,970 | 369,036 |
| Average Income | $8,445 | $10,797 | $11,263 | $11,560 |
| Total reporting Income | 329,185 | 352,596 | 340,317 | 310,782 |
| D: Population Aged 20-59 | ||||
| Higher degree | 2.5 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 4.0 |
| Bachelor's degree | 4.2 | 5.3 | 7.0 | 9.0 |
| Other post-school qual | 29.1 | 34.1 | 27.4 | 20.9 |
| Higher school qual | 2.4 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 5.1 |
| 6th form qual | 7.0 | 6.4 | 8.5 | 10.1 |
| School certificate | 12.6 | 11.4 | 11.6 | 13.8 |
| Other school qual | 0.5 | 1.8 | 5.3 | 5.5 |
| No qual | 35.9 | 30.7 | 27.7 | 20.5 |
| Not specified | 5.7 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 11.0 |
| Population Totals | 1,687,287 | 1,784,616 | 1,965,312 | 2,019,261 |
| Average Income | $24,874 | $25,810 | $27,441 | $29,822 |
| Total reporting Income | 1,594,914 | 1,692,714 | 1,793,475 | 1,818,168 |
Notes: Entries are percentages of the column totals for each panel. Average incomes are in constant 2001 dollar values, adjusting using the CPI (excluding GST effects for 1986 incomes). The 1996 and 2001 populations in panel D also include those who did not-specify labour force status.
| Country | Average Years of Education | Educational Attainment(a) | Expected Years of Tertiary Schooling | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower secondary or less | Higher secondary & post-school | Tertiary | Schooling | Tertiary Schooling | ||||
| Full-time | Part-time | Full-time | Part-time | |||||
| OECD | 36 | 43 | 22 | 15.4 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.5 | |
| NZ | 11.8 | 26 (72) | 46 (107) | 27 (123) | 15.2 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 |
| UK(b) | 11.9 | 18 (50) | 57 (133) | 25 (114) | 14.7 | 4.2 | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Australia | 12.3 | 43 (119) | 31 (72) | 27 (123) | 14.3 | 5.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 |
| US | 12.7 | 13 (36) | 51 (119) | 35 (159) | 15.3 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 1.6 |
| Canada | 12.9 | 20 (56) | 42 (98) | 39 (177) | 15.3 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 0.7 |
| Germany | 13.5 | 19 (53) | 58 (135) | 23 (105) | 17.1 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 0 |
Notes: Working Age population is 15-64 years old.
(a) Entries are percentages of the population (numbers in parentheses are relative to OECD average of 100)
(b) Post-secondary non-tertiary education is counted as Tertiary education for the UK and as post-school for other countries in the table.
Source: OECD (2001) Table A2.1a for educational attainment; Tables C1.1 & C3.2 for expected years of schooling. See OECD (2000) for Average Years of Education.
| Field of Study | 1996 | 2001 | 1996-01 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural & Physical Sciences | 30984 | (15.3%) | 36165 | (13.7%) | 16.7% |
| Information Technology | 4218 | (2.1%) | 6804 | (2.6%) | 61.3% |
| Engineering and Technical | 15474 | (7.6%) | 17424 | (6.6%) | 12.6% |
| Architecture and Building | 3072 | (1.5%) | 4194 | (1.6%) | 36.5% |
| Agriculture and Environment | 5805 | (2.9%) | 5619 | (2.1%) | -3.2% |
| Health | 17514 | (8.6%) | 28209 | (10.7%) | 61.1% |
| Education | 14799 | (7.3%) | 23862 | (9.0%) | 61.2% |
| Management and Commerce | 36405 | (17.9%) | 49338 | (18.7%) | 35.5% |
| Society and Culture | 62700 | (30.9%) | 70485 | (26.7%) | 12.4% |
| Creative Arts | 5298 | (2.6%) | 8856 | (3.4%) | 67.2% |
| Food and Hospitality | 108 | (0.1%) | 90 | (0.0%) | -16.7% |
| Not Specified | 6426 | (3.2%) | 12921 | (4.9%) | 101.1% |
| Total | 202818 | (100%) | 263991 | (100%) | 30.2% |
Notes: The population includes only those that specify whether they were employed, unemployed or not in the labour force. The percentages in parentheses are row percentages.
