The increase in starting salaries for Bachelor's graduates in Austria is largely attributed to the fields of health and social work, as well as education. This analysis highlights the impact of degree choice on income disparities between men and women.

A degree remains a strong indicator of swift entry into the workforce and a good starting salary. One year after obtaining a Master’s degree, the median salary is just over €3,000 gross per month. Additionally, starting salaries for Bachelor's graduates in the healthcare or social sectors have significantly increased over the past decade.

Tobias Thomas, Director General of Statistics Austria, notes that the Bologna Process and the expansion of the University of Applied Sciences have resulted in more job entrants with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Austria. In the 2008/09 academic year, nearly 16,000 degrees were obtained without further education, a number projected to rise to nearly 27,000 by 2020/21. By 2020/21, nearly four-fifths of these degrees were either Bachelor’s (36.0 percent) or Master’s (43.6 percent).

On average, Bachelor’s degree holders were able to secure their first job within around two months, while Master’s degree holders did so in less than a month. Moreover, the employment rate for recent graduates with Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees has increased over the monitored period. For instance, 77.3 percent of Bachelor’s graduates were employed twelve months after graduation in the 2008/09 academic year, compared to 81.8 percent in 2020/21. Similarly, 84.3 percent of Master’s graduates were employed twelve months after graduating in 2008/09, rising to 87.3 percent in 2020/21.

The average monthly income for full-time work one year after completing a Master’s degree varied between nearly €3,100 and €3,300 during the observed period. In contrast, the median income for Bachelor's graduates saw a notable increase starting from the academic year 2012/13, rising from €2,653 to €2,986 by 2020/21. Consequently, the income gap between Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates narrowed from just under €600 in 2008/09 to around €200 in 2020/21.

A study comparing the incomes of male and female university graduates revealed that one year after finishing a Bachelor's degree in 2020/21, men earned a median income similar to that of female Master's degree graduates. This discrepancy can partly be attributed to gender-specific differences in degree program choices. Men are overrepresented in high-income fields such as computer science, communication technology, engineering, manufacturing, and construction, whereas women are more focused on lower-income fields like social sciences, journalism, and information.