Australian graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields tend to go overseas to work after completing their studies. This phenomenon is often referred to as the "postdocalypse" or "brain drain".[4]
Nearly 63% of respondents in a 2016 survey believed Australian researchers must have overseas experience to be competitive at home, and 55% had considered moving overseas due to low pay and lack of job security in Australia.[4] Another survey found that 83% of early and mid-career researchers had considered leaving Australia, with 61% having actually considered it.[4]
The main reasons driving this brain drain are the limited job opportunities in Australia's private sector for STEM graduates, lack of research funding, and poor job security and pay compared to other countries.[4] Only around one-third of Australian scientists work in industry, which is half the OECD average.[4] Most end up working in universities or publicly funded research facilities that heavily rely on limited government grants.[4]
To address this issue, experts recommend establishing more research/industry collaboration programs similar to those in the UK, Finland, and Germany to create more private sector opportunities for STEM graduates in Australia.[4]
