The ABS has released new data showing that 63% of Australians aged 15-64 had a non-school qualification in 2018-19, with more than 40% of people aged between 25 and 44 years having a bachelor degree or higher:
Key statistics
In 2018-19, 63% of Australians aged 15-64 had a non-school qualification.
24% of people had multiple qualifications.
83% of people with a qualification had one that was relevant to their job.
2.6 million people (16%) had at least one incomplete qualification.
Non-school qualifications
In 2018-19, around 10.2 million Australians aged 15-64 years (63%) had a non-school qualification (a certificate, diploma or degree), while 2.2 million (13%) were currently studying in a non-school institution such as a university or TAFE (see Note 1).
Nearly half (49%) of people with one or more qualifications had qualifications that were all below a bachelor degree, such as a certificate I/IV, a diploma or an associate degree. One in three (36%) had qualifications at bachelor degree level or above, such as a graduate certificate, graduate diploma or other postgraduate degree, while 10% had a combination of qualifications both below, and at or above, bachelor degree level.
Men were more likely to have all their qualifications below bachelor degree level than women (53% compared with 45% of women), while women were more likely to have all their qualifications at bachelor level and above (39% compared with 33% of men).
People aged 25-34 years were the most likely to have all their qualifications at or above bachelor degree level (43%), while those aged 15-24 and 55-64 years were the most likely to have all their qualifications below bachelor degree level (60% and 54% respectively).
10% of people with at least one qualification were currently studying in a non-school institution for another, setting them up to join the 3.8 million Australians aged 15-64 with multiple qualifications.
Multiple qualifications
Around 40% of Australians aged 15-64 years had one qualification, while 24% had multiple qualifications (17% with two qualifications and 7% with three or more).
Just over two in five men had one qualification (41% compared with 38% of women), while women were slightly more likely to have two qualifications (19% compared with 16%). Men and women were just about equally likely to have three or more qualifications (6% and 7% respectively)…
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
