An Australian study has torpedoed the trope of the rich blue-collar worker, with arts degrees \u2013 on the whole \u2013 proving considerably more lucrative than trade certificates.<\/p>\n
The Mackenzie Research Institute analysis<\/a> found that \u201ctypical\u201d arts degrees delivered higher lifetime earnings than certificates in aerospace engineering, one of the best-paid technical areas. Qualified workers in a \u201ctypical building trade\u201d \u2013 carpentry and joinery \u2013 attracted similar incomes to graduates in philosophy and religious studies, the worst-paid arts category.<\/p>\n The research found that the average builder and plumber earned about 20 per cent more, at best, than someone with no tertiary qualifications. By comparison, bachelor\u2019s graduates in humanities fields like political science and cultural studies earned almost 50 per cent more.<\/p>\n Arts degrees also offered longevity, with income typically peaking when graduates reached their early fifties. Tradesmen tended to achieve their maximum earnings about a decade earlier.<\/p>\n The findings undermine perceptions that tradespeople like electricians and plumbers tend to earn a fortune because they can be hard to find when needed \u2013 often at short notice to deal with household emergencies \u2013 and charge large fees just for showing up.<\/p>\n Study author Tom Karmel said the results suggested that only a minority of tradespeople achieved breakaway financial success. \u201cAn arts degree is a good proposition compared to a trade certificate,\u201d he said. \u201cThere would have to be a dramatic oversupply of persons with an arts degree to remove the premium associated with the degree.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2026is a tendency for parents to push their children toward the university path rather than [vocational education and training]. I argue that [this] is a product of the labour market rather than any innate snobbery. The university sector will be more highly regarded as long as it leads to the better paid jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n The study found outliers in every field. About 2 per cent of people with certificates in painting, decorating and signwriting \u2013 the worst-paid trade category, delivering average earnings just 1 per cent higher than school qualifications \u2013 were in the top income bracket of over A$3,500 (\u00a31,714) a week.<\/p>\n \u201cAverage returns are exactly what they describe \u2013 averages over many individuals,\u201d Karmel noted. \u201cAn individual\u2019s income will depend on many factors. Talent, hard work and even luck will all play a part.\u201d<\/p>\n A long-term decline in humanities enrolments<\/a> has intensified amid questions over the value proposition, after fee hikes<\/a> and indexation<\/a> raised the cost of three-year arts degrees above A$50,000<\/a>. Meanwhile, government policies are increasingly favouring vocational study<\/a>, with policymakers highlighting severe shortages of technical skills.<\/p>\n Karmel said earning prospects were not the only factor behind course choice. Law study offered a \u201chigh return\u201d on average, but probably not for people \u201cwith little interest in it\u201d. Religious study was unlikely to be motivated by \u201ca payoff in this life \u2013 maybe the next life\u201d.<\/p>\n He said people should not be deterred by the fees if they had their hearts set on studying arts. Aptitude should be the overriding driver of choice, he told Times Higher Education. \u201cYou\u2019re much better off being a really good tradie than a really bad art student.\u201d<\/p>\n The analysis was based on full-time male earnings recorded in the 2021 census. Karmel excluded women\u2019s earnings from the study because most female tradespeople specialised in hairdressing or the food trades, \u201cboth notorious for low pay\u201d.<\/p>\n