Tasmania offers a laid back lifestyle for university students searching for a graduate job. One of Tasmania’s greatest attractions is the natural beauty that offers graduates the opportunity to be involved in the thriving tourism, agriculture and science industries. While Tasmanian salaries may not be the highest in Australia, a graduate in search of a great lifestyle and balanced work life would benefit from considering Tasmania for graduate job vacancies.
Tasmania’s climate is steady and cooler than most other Australian states, and most people can find an easy-going pace of life that is almost impossible to achieve in some of the larger parts of Australia. Tasmania’s standard of living and gorgeous surrounds make the state an enticing choice for graduates.
Tasmania hosts 2% of all the employment opportunities in Australia, and 1.7% of Australia’s total employment income comes from Tasmania. 1.1% of graduate opportunities are found in Tasmania - unsurprising, considering Tasmania’s small size.
Figure 1: Number of employing businesses in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Tasmania has the third-lowest number of employing businesses in Australia, with almost 15,000 businesses employing one or more people. Health care is the biggest employing industry in the state, with 34,300 jobs available, which represents 14.3% of Tasmania’s total employment opportunities. Retail and construction also make up a sizeable percentage. The industries that employ the least number of people are telecommunications, real estate, and particularly mining which employs 2,900 people representing 1.2% of the workforce.
Figure 2: Per cent of total employment per industry in Tasmania (TAS)
Figure 3: Employment status of graduates with bachelor degrees in Tasmania (TAS)
Of all Tasmanian graduates searching for employment, 84% found positions, with 66% in full- time work and 22% employed in part-time or casual work. 16% of graduates have been unable to secure employment in Tasmania, which is a higher percentage than many other states and territories around Australia. For graduates looking for graduate jobs based in Tasmania, it may be wise to secure employment before making a move to the state.
Figure 4: Annual growth rates in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
With an annual growth rate of 5.1%, along with South Australia, Tasmania has the lowest growth rate compared with other states and territories in Australia. Tasmania’s growth rate is below the national average is 8.3% and is a significant contrast to New South Wales with a growth rate of 9.8%.
Industries with strong growth rates include accommodation and food services, real estate, health care and social assistance, while industries experiencing decline include mining, manufacturing and utilities.
Figure 5: Annual growth rate across industries in Tasmania (TAS)
Figure 6: Unemployment rates in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Youth unemployment in Tasmania is the second-highest in the country, with 14.6% of people aged between 15-24 unemployed, compared to 12.9% nationally. The unemployment rate for all adults aged 15 and over is 6.3%, the highest in the country and above the national rate of 5.6%. 15.8% of graduates in Tasmania are unemployed, which is the highest rate in the country. Graduate roles in Tasmania are competitive – we recommend staying up to date with the latest graduate program vacancies by subscribing to GradAustralia for updates and checking the GradAustralia jobs board regularly.
Figure 7: Graduate unemployment rates in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Figure 8: Per cent of total employment by occupation in Tasmania (TAS)
In Tasmania, a significant proportion of the workforce is employed as technicians and trades workers, making up 21.1% of the Tasmanian workforce, with professionals making up 20.2% of the workforce. The smallest occupation group in the Tasmanian workforce are sales workers, who make up 6% of the workforce in the state. Full-time workers who are in a professional occupation represent 15.8% of the total Tasmanian workforce, which makes Tasmania the state with the third-highest percentage of professionals.
GradAustralia surveyed graduates throughout the country and found that the top 5 roles in Tasmania are:
Figure 9: Median and mean employee income in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Tasmania has the lowest median employee income in Australia, at $42,869 annually. The mean income sits at $48,679, which is also the lowest in Australia.
Figure 10: Median graduate starting salary in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Graduate starting salaries in Tasmania are significantly higher than the average salary in the state. With a median starting salary of $55,000, Tasmania actually has the fourth-highest median graduate starting salary in Australia, which is $1,000 more than the national average.
Figure 11: Average graduate starting salary by discipline in Tasmania (TAS)
Graduates with degrees in law, finance and science are offered higher starting salaries, with law graduates starting on an average of $61,333 and science graduates starting on an average of $73,000. The highest average starting salary is offered to graduates with degrees in engineering, maths, IT and computer sciences.
Figure 12: Graduate job hours distribution in Tasmania (TAS)
Tasmania appears to offer the most appealing work hours, with all respondents in a GradAustralia survey stating that their average work week was between 30 and 50 hours per week, with no respondents stating they worked 60 or 70 hours, as many other states have reported. The majority were in the lower bracket, with 79% of graduates saying they worked between 30-40 hours and the remaining 21% worked no more than 50 hours per week. At an average of 37.1 hours per week, graduates in Tasmania have the shortest average work week in Australia. In fact, the Tasmanian work week is a full 10 hours shorter than the average working week for graduates in the Northern Territory.
Figure 13: Average graduate working hours in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Figure 14: Average graduate job satisfaction score in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Another factor to consider in Tasmania’s favour is how satisfied Tasmanian graduates are in their workplace. Tasmania has the second-highest job satisfaction rating in Australia, with graduates giving their workplaces an average score of 8.7.
Figure 15: Average diversity score in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
Graduates in Tasmania rated the diversity in their workplaces at an average of 8.4, which is slightly below the national average of 8.5. Tasmania’s diversity score is higher than that of Queensland and Victoria.
Figure 16: Workforce participation rate by industry in Tasmania (TAS)
The average female participation in the Tasmanian workforce is around 41.4%, which is similar to many other regions in Australia. Industries with a higher female participation rate include healthcare and social assistance, education and training, accommodation and food services. Industries with the lowest female participation rates include mining, construction, utilities, wholesale trade and manufacturing.
Figure 17: Median graduate starting salary for males and females in Tasmania (TAS) vs other states/territories
There is a slight difference in graduate starting salaries for males and females in Tasmania. The average starting salary for male graduates with a bachelor degree is $55,000 per year. For females with comparable levels of qualification, that figure drops to $54,0000. Males in Tasmania are earning the same as the national average, whereas female workers in Tasmania earn $1,000 more a year than the national average for female workers.
GradAustralia surveyed graduates throughout Australia and found that the most sought-after employers in Tasmania include:
When looking for graduate jobs, keep an eye on new listings on the GradAustralia website, and consider attending a graduate careers fair where you can find out more about graduate programs. The Big Meet Hobart, organized by AAGE, provides opportunities to students of all disciplines. Universities also offer various career events to help you learn more about graduate job opportunities and employers.
Many employers also offer ‘entry-level’ jobs that are not specifically advertised as ‘graduate’ jobs. Keep an eye out for these on job boards such as SEEK.
If you're set on Tasmania but still not sure what you want to do, or if you haven't had any luck locking down a graduate job, you might want to consider:
If you’re not sure if Tasmania is the right place for your first graduate job, we recommend checking out our complete guide to moving to Hobart.
Economic Data Analyst at Australian Bureau of Statistics at Australian Bureau Of Statistics (ABS)