The Employment Of Science Graduates In New Zealand

There is certainly no shortage of jobs for science graduates in New Zealand, but there may not necessarily be enough openings in some particular areas, especially for women. Science graduates usually find employment in one of three fields: research in government organisations or universities; teaching; and technical administrative positions in industry, commerce, or the public service. I shall be commenting mainly on the third area of employment, which is probably less familiar to students than the other two.

Apart from mentioning that there is still an acute shortage of science teachers, especially in Physics and Mathematics, I assume that there is no need to elaborate, as most students are reasonably well aware of what teaching can offer. However, I hope that this will not be taken as belittling what is a very challenging and rewarding career.

To avoid any possible misunderstanding, I would like to emphasise that my remarks are confined to opportunities for employment in New Zealand. As a final qualification, it is impossible to be very specific in an article of this length, and therefore I have set out to give more of a birdseye view of career opportunities, rather than details of salaries, pension schemes and other particular conditions of employment.