Choice of career to pay off
As the mining industry battles ongoing skills shortages, female graduates can take heart from new data showing they are likely to earn more than their male counterparts.
The Workplace Gender Equality Agency’s latest report shows starting salaries for female engineers are slightly higher than they are for men.
Female graduates generally earn 1.6 per cent more than males straight out of university, or about $1000 more a year.
The resources sector will be hoping these figures entice more graduates into the WA industry, which the Chamber of Minerals and Energy forecasts will require an additional 9000 workers by 2014.
Engineering is one of the few industries where women earn higher salaries than men, whose median full-time salaries are $55,000 a year.
Women are slightly lower at $50,000. The gap of $5000 is up about $3000 from 2011, according to the report.
