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Indonesian students: can an Australian degree get you a skilled job?

News · 2026-10-07 · 4 min read

Many Indonesian families dream of an Australian degree. It can open doors. But a large government study shows that finishing your course is only the first step. Getting a job that matches your qualification is often harder.

What did the study look at?

The study comes from Jobs and Skills Australia, a government agency. It was published in September 2025. The researchers followed people who started studying in Australia in 2010–11. They checked what happened to them up to the end of 2023.

Please keep one thing in mind. The study looked at the rules before the end of 2023. Australia has changed its settings since then under its Migration Strategy. So the results show past patterns. They do not predict what will happen to you.

Good news first: many students stayed on

About 35 to 40 per cent of the students who started in the early 2010s got permanent residency within 10 years. For university and vocational graduates who could be found in tax and job records, the share was higher. More than half of them became permanent residents within a decade.

The hard part: jobs below their level

Staying in Australia did not always mean a skilled job. Here is what the researchers found:

• More than half of international graduates with the highest level of qualification were doing jobs that needed lower skills.
• For domestic graduates, this was about 20 to 30 per cent.
• International graduates were less likely to work in the area they studied. This gap was bigger for university graduates than for vocational education and training (VET) graduates.
• On average, they earned less than domestic graduates with the same qualification.

Why do graduates get stuck?

The study named several reasons. Some graduates did not have strong enough English. Many had little practical work experience in Australia. Some employers were unsure about hiring people on temporary visas. Overseas experience was not always recognised. There was also bias in recruitment, and some employers felt international graduates were less ready for work.

Simple steps for Indonesian students

You cannot control every employer. But you can prepare well. Here are some easy steps:

1. Work on your English every day. Good English helps in class, in interviews and at work. If your visa or employer needs a test, you may need IELTS or PTE. Check the English language rules from the Australian Department of Home Affairs.
2. Get Australian experience while you study. Look for placements, internships or part-time work in your field when your visa allows it.
3. Pick your course carefully. The government has said it makes sense to keep some graduates in jobs Australia needs, such as doctors and nurses.
4. Prepare an English-language CV. Show your skills and your experience clearly, in simple and correct English.
5. Get your documents ready. If a police certificate is requested, you may need an SKCK from the Indonesian National Police. You can start on the official SKCK website. Have Indonesian-language documents translated into English when the visa rules require it.

How many students will Australia take?

There is a political debate in Australia about international students. Some politicians want a much smaller intake. The government defends the system. It says most international students go home after study. It also admits some dodgy providers tried to exploit the system.

The government has set a planning level of 295,000 new international student commencements for 2026. It says it will keep this level in 2027. Figures from earlier in 2026 show commencements are 8 per cent lower than the same period in 2025, and 13 per cent below 2019.

Your skills are still wanted

International education brought more than $50 billion to the Australian economy in 2023–24. Jobs and Skills Australia says graduates who stay can help fill skill shortages. But it also says the move into skilled jobs must get better. For Indonesian students, the message is clear: start planning your career in your first year, not your last.

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