Who Earns What: Large Differences in Academic Salaries

However, salaries vary significantly depending on the level of the degree, field of study, and region, as shown by the Graduate Tracking (ATRACK) from Statistics Austria and a university consortium. The best earnings three years after graduation are in Vorarlberg and Upper Austria, with industrial centers standing out in these regions.

According to the survey published on Thursday, university graduates find their first job in the median after just under two months. Three years after graduation, four out of five are working full or part-time, with only 2.3 percent registered as unemployed at this point.

The average monthly salary for full-time employees three years after a bachelor's degree is 3,500 euros gross. For master's or diploma graduates, it is on average around 4,200 euros, and for doctoral or PhD graduates, almost 5,100 euros.

Medicine and Engineering with Top Salaries

By field of study, the highest incomes are in the areas of health and social services, with around 4,700 euros, which includes doctors. High earners are also found in engineering, manufacturing and construction, as well as information and communication technology (ICT), each with around 4,600 euros.

According to ATRACK, the highest incomes by federal state are expected for academics in Vorarlberg (just under 4,300 euros) and Upper Austria (4,100 euros), with the lowest in Burgenland (3,800 euros) and Carinthia (3,900 euros). In the regions, the two industrial centers in eastern Upper Styria and Steyr-Kirchdorf stand out with around 4,400 euros each.

Considering region and field of study, ICT graduates can expect the highest salary in Vorarlberg and Vienna, while in the field of engineering, manufacturing, and construction, Vorarlberg and the industrialized federal states of Upper Austria and Styria offer the most. In the health and social sector, the highest salaries are also paid in Vorarlberg, followed by Tyrol and Burgenland. In the services sector, Salzburg leads ahead of Vorarlberg and Carinthia.

Two Thirds Return to Their Home Region After Graduation

In addition to income, the graduate tracking also examined the migration movements of academics. It shows that two-thirds of those who lived in Austria ten years before graduation return to their home region after completing their studies. Of the one-third of academics who are no longer registered in their home region after graduation and change their place of residence, one in ten moves abroad.

The most influx from other federal states is in Vienna, where ten years before graduation, 14 percent of all graduates are registered, and three years after graduation, it is 28 percent. Significant influxes are also registered in Graz and Innsbruck, while a large part does not return to the western Upper Styria, Liezen, and East Tyrol after graduation.

Of the approximately 23 percent of university graduates who were not primarily registered in Austria ten years before graduation, two-thirds have moved abroad again three years after graduation. Of those who stay, Vienna benefits the most: More than half of the newcomers live in the federal capital after graduation.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.