The 2018 Employer Satisfaction Survey shows 85 per cent of employers are satisfied with the skills graduates bring to their roles, including teamwork and communication.

Also released today, the 2018 Graduate Outcomes Survey shows more than seven in 10 university graduates are in full-time work a short four months out of university. This increases to nine in 10 three years out from graduation.

The same survey shows median salaries are also on the rise – at $61,000 for workers with an undergraduate degree and $83,000 for those with postgraduate coursework qualifications.

Universities Australia’s Acting Chief Executive Anne-Marie Lansdown said the strong results show that university education continues to be a great investment.

“As tens of thousands of students receive offers this week, they can rest assured that a university education will pay dividends — both professionally and personally,” Ms Lansdown said.

“This survey shows that universities are preparing students well for the world of work, with a record number of employers satisfied with the quality of university graduates,” she said.

“These are the employers that work with graduates first-hand and their ringing endorsement is something that graduates and their universities should be proud of.”

“As the economy recovers from the global financial crisis, graduate employment rates and their salaries have continued to climb.”

“Universities are developing the highly-skilled workforce Australia needs to drive our shared prosperity.”

Key statistics from the two surveys include:

• Nine in 10 supervisors say graduates are ‘very well’ or ‘well’ prepared for their jobs by their university education;
• 81 per cent of supervisors also say a graduate’s qualification was important for their current job;
• 87 per cent of people with postgraduate coursework qualifications are in full-time work; and
• 5,300+ direct supervisors and 120,000+ graduates surveyed.