New Zealand Economy Profile 2012

More people with qualifications

The proportion of people aged 15 years and over who have a qualification has increased since the 1996 Census:

• * In 1996 it was 62 percent
• * In 2001 it was 72 percent
• * In 2006 it was 75 percent.

Both men and women more qualified

Since the 1996 Census there has been a significant increase in the proportion of both men and women aged 15 years and over who hold a qualification:

• * In 2006, 75 percent of men had a qualification, compared with 72 percent in 2001 and 63 percent in 1996
• * In 2006, 75 percent of women had a qualification, compared with 73 percent in 2001 and 61 percent in 1996.

Age and qualifications

There has been a rise in the proportion of people with a qualification across all age groups since the 1996 Census.

People aged 20 to 34 years were most likely to have a qualification:

• * 75 percent in 1996
• * 86 percent in 2006.

Highest qualification

Highest qualification combines information from the highest secondary school qualification and post-school qualification questions to obtain an individual's single highest qualification by level of attainment.
Increase in people with a post-school qualification

The proportion of people aged 15 years and over with a post-school qualification as their highest qualification has risen since the 1996 Census:

• * In 1996, it was 31 percent
• * In 2001, it was 32 percent
• * In 2006, it was 40 percent.

Field of study

Engineering and related technologies, management and commerce the most common fields of study

Engineering and related technologies was the most common broad field of study for post-school qualifications in 2001 (18 percent) and 2006 (19 percent). The second most common was management and commerce, reported by 18 percent of people (unchanged from 2001).

Since 2001, there have been small decreases in the proportion of people with post-school qualifications in health or education.

Information technology was the least common field of study for a post-school qualification, reported by 3 percent of people in both 2001 and 2006.

Qualifications and work

At the time of the 2006 Census, 65 percent of people aged 15 years and over were employed.

Full-time employment

Of the people employed at the time of the 2006 Census, 77 percent (1,465,962) were in full-time work. Of these:

• * 18 percent had no qualification.
• * 32 percent had a school qualification as their highest qualification.
• * 49 percent had a post-school qualification as their highest qualification.

Part-time employment

Of the people employed part-time:

• * 21 percent had no qualification.
• * 43 percent had a school qualification as their highest qualification.
• * 37 percent had a post-school qualification as their highest qualification.

Qualifications and median annual personal income

The level of income an individual receives is closely related to their level of educational qualification. Median annual personal incomes in 2006 were:

• * Highest for those whose highest qualification was a doctorate degree ($69,900 per year).
• * Lowest for those with no qualifications ($16,900 per year).

The median annual personal income for people who were aged 15 years and over and living in New Zealand on census night was $24,400.
Income differences for men and women with bachelor's degrees or higher

Of those with a bachelor's degree or higher, more men than women had an income greater than $50,000:

• * 53 percent of men received over $50,000 a year.
• * 30 percent of women received over $50,000 a year.
   
•  
•