Students spending tens of thousands of dollars on expensive degrees are increasingly struggling to find full-time work in the year after finishing university.

New data released this week shows a quarter of all university graduates did not secure a job last year, with just 74 per cent in full-time employment. But those who were hired pocketed bigger salaries.

“In 2024, the full-time employment rate for graduates declined across all study levels. The largest drop was among those with undergraduate degrees,” the latest graduate outcomes survey from QILT (Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching) said. QILT is a suite of national, higher education surveys endorsed by the Department of Education and Training that covers the student life cycle.

Just over half of creative arts graduates we

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