Australia's Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel has released a report analysing the country's STEM-qualified workforce.
He said Australians with qualifications in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are working across the economy in many roles from wine-makers to financial analysts.
“Studying STEM opens up countless job options and this report shows that Australians are taking diverse career paths,” Finkel said.
The report, Australia’s STEM Workforce, investigates the workforce destinations of people with qualifications in STEM fields, looking at the demographics, industries, occupations and salaries that students studying for those qualifications can expect in the workforce.
It found that fewer than one-third of STEM university graduates were female, with Physics and Astronomy and Engineering having even lower proportions of female graduates. Biological Sciences and Environmental Studies graduates were evenly split between the genders. In the vocational education and training (VET) sector, only 9% of those with STEM qualifications were women.
Finkel said that even more worrying than the gender imbalance in some STEM fields, was the pay-gap between men and women in all STEM fields revealed in the report. These differences cannot be fully explained by having children or by the increased proportion of women working part-time.
The analysis also found that gaining a doctorate is a sound investment, with more STEM PhD graduates in the top income bracket than their Bachelor-qualified counterparts. However, these same STEM PhD holders are less likely to own their own business or to work in the private sector.
Finkel said that preparing students for a variety of jobs and industries was vital to sustaining the future workforce.
“This report shows that STEM-qualified Australians are working across the economy. It is critical that qualifications at all levels prepare students for the breadth of roles and industries they might pursue.”
Alan Finkel is an electrical engineer and entrepreneur who took over the role of Chief Scientist earlier this year. The May issue of create magazine will feature a profile of Dr Finkel.
Alan Finkel speaking at the National Press Club earlier this year. Photo: Office of the Chief Scientist