Explore career options in economics
Here you can find information on the types of careers an economics degree may land you.
You can also discover where to look for job vacancies, as well as professional associations, mentoring and international opportunities.
Opportunities
Economics is the study of choice: how we spend our money and our time, how firms make decisions and the policies governments choose to make. Studying economics helps you to develop critical analytical and problem-solving skills, and to communicate your ideas and make your arguments clearly.
The demand for economists is growing in both the private and public sectors as analysts are needed to examine important contemporary issues such as sustainable development, interest rates, exchange rates, competitiveness, unemployment, inflation, international trade and investment with Asia, foreign debt, microeconomic reform, taxation, infrastructure provision, health and other public economic policy concerns.
Career fields
- Commonwealth and state treasuries
- Productivity commission
- Banking industry, including the Reserve Bank
- Mining and energy sector
- Economic research
- Investment firms
- Health care sector
- International Development
- State and Federal government departments
- Insurance companies
- Funds management and superannuation
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Stockbroking companies
- Economics consulting firms
Employment roles
- Graduate economist
- Health economist
- Investment analyst
- Consultant data analyst
- Policy officer/analyst
- Policy and research officer
- Credit analyst
- Applied micro-economist
- Insurance administrator
- Research analyst
- Retail economics analyst
- Economics research assistant
- Pricing analyst
Occupation snapshot
Employed
529,900
Future growth
6.5%
Weekly earnings
$1,750
Full-time share
85%
This data is based on the occupation profile for Financial and Insurance Services, retrieved from the Government's Jobs and Skills Australia website May 2023.
Your employability
In addition to knowledge and skills directly related to your program of study, you will also develop a range of other skills such as teamwork, analytical, communication through academic study, employment, voluntary work, sporting and recreational activities and life experience.
Recognising the value employers place on these skills is an important factor in your graduate job search. You can further develop your employability with these resources:
Vacancies
Information on relevant vacancies can be found in a wide range of sources:
- CareerHub
- Prosple (formerly Grad Australia)
- GradConnection
- Department of Home Affairs careers
- Australian Public Service Jobs
- Brisbane City Council vacancies
- Australian Local Government Directory
- Queensland Government jobs
- Queensland Government Graduate Portal
- Seek
- Hays Personnel Services
- Hudson Recruitment
- Seek economics jobs
- Statistics jobs in Australia and New Zealand
- New South Wales Government jobs
- Research Career Jobs (Australia & New Zealand)
- Indeed Economic Jobs
Notable alumnus: Paul Simshauser
Professor Paul Simshauser AM is a prominent figure in the energy industry, with over two decades of experience.
He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Powerlink Queensland and holds a professorship in Economics at Griffith University’s Centre for Applied Energy Economics and Policy Research.
Job application resources
Craft a stand-out resume and cover letter, and learn how to prepare for job interviews.
Approach potential employers
Many work opportunities are not advertised, so we recommend approaching potential employers with the aim of researching their needs and how your skills, experience, interests and qualifications could match theirs.
This is called informational interviewing and will benefit you by:
- clarifying your specific career direction
- enhancing your professional network
- increasing your chances of being offered a job.
Industry outlook
The Your Career website includes helpful information such as job descriptions, employment prospects, average weekly earnings and skills requirements. Every job title in the database has a skills section to help you identify and describe essential skills for your future career.
The My Future website also has job descriptions and a useful career insight section.
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has up-to-date information on graduate salaries, especially the Graduate Outlook Survey (GOS) National Report, which contains undergraduate salary figures.
More detailed information is available at the Labour Market Insights portal.
Professional associations
Joining a professional association is a great way to interact with people in your field who can assist you to explore your career options and potentially find employment opportunities. These associations hold regular professional development and networking events:
- Australian Market and Social Research Society
- Statistical Society of Australia
- Economic Society of Australia—including the Young Economists Network
- Economics associations worldwide listin
- Financial Services Institute of Australasia
- Australian Institute of Credit Management
Students are welcome to join and often receive a discount on their membership.
Mentoring
The award-winning Industry Mentoring Program provides an excellent opportunity to further develop your employability and build professional networks.
The program is available to students with more than 80 credit points as well as recent graduates.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ) and committed to contributing to a more equitable and just society, where everyone has a chance to thrive and contribute to sustainable development through decent work and economic equity.
Further careers information
Careers counselling
Individual career counselling sessions are available to all current students and recent graduates.
You can book an initial appointment via CareerHub.
Career planning
Our website has an array of career planning resources you can explore at any stage of your student journey.
Career Readiness
Check out our Career Readiness site in Learning@Griffith for additional information and resources for your career development learning:
Similar career options
Please note: The content on this webpage is a guide only. Please refer to degree-specific information and accreditation requirements of your profession on the Degree and Course Finder website and with the relevant professional accreditation body for your degree.