The salaries of recent Bachelor’s degree holders in Austria are nearing those of Master’s graduates, narrowing the discrepancy between them, according to a recent analysis by Austria’s Federal Statistical Office, Statistics Austria. The rise in initial salaries for Bachelor’s degree holders in Austria is credited to fields like health and social work, along with education. Furthermore, the analysis highlights how the selection of degree programs impacts the income gap between genders.

The implementation of the Bologna Process and the growth of the University of Applied Sciences have resulted in a rising influx of individuals entering the job market with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Austria.

During the academic year 2008/09, close to 16,000 degrees were conferred without further educational pursuits, a figure projected to climb to nearly 27,000 by 2020/21. Concurrently, in the 2020/21 academic year, almost eighty percent of these degrees were either Bachelor’s (36.0 percent) or Master’s (43.6 percent).

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in the academic year 2008/09, 77.3% of graduates were employed, compared to 81.8% in the academic year 2020/21. Similarly, Master's degree holders experienced an employment increase from 84.3% to 87.3% during the same period. The average monthly income for Master's graduates ranged from nearly €3,100 to €3,300 one year after graduation. Conversely, the median income for Bachelor's graduates saw a notable increase from €2,653 in 2012/13 to €2,986 in 2020/21.

A study examining the income disparity between male and female university graduates found that, in 2020/21, men with a Bachelor’s degree earned a median income comparable to that of women with a Master’s degree. This contrast is partly explained by gender-based preferences in degree selection. Men tend to dominate fields like computer science, engineering, and construction, which offer higher salaries, while women gravitate towards social sciences and journalism, where incomes are typically lower.