Economist
Research and advise on policy and business decisions through quantitative economic analysis.
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Economists (2243) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1954 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $74,000 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Economist (224311), the closest official match for economist, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 4,200
- Future demand
- Very strong
- Work full-time
- 91%
- Average full-time hours
- 43 a week
- Women
- 41%
- Median age
- 38
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 30.1% |
| VIC | 24.9% |
| QLD | 11.5% |
| WA | 6% |
| SA | 7.2% |
| TAS | 2.6% |
| ACT | 15.5% |
| NT | 2.3% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 52.7% |
| Bachelor degree | 43.1% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 0.7% |
| Certificate I-IV | 0.5% |
| Year 12 | 2.4% |
| Below Year 12 | 0.3% |
What an economist actually does
Economists split the day between data work, writing, and stakeholder briefings. A typical morning might be pulling ABS, RBA or APRA data, running an econometric model in R, Python or Stata, and sense-checking the output. The middle of the day is often a working group with policy colleagues, line-area economists or finance partners to align on assumptions. Afternoons go to writing the analysis up as a brief, research note, or paper for a minister, executive committee or regulator. Hours sit at 38-45 a week with peaks around Budget season, rate-decision cycles, big policy announcements or major industry reviews. Most roles are desk-based and hybrid in Canberra, Sydney or Melbourne, with travel for stakeholder consultations or conferences.
Typical tasks
- Estimate econometric models.
- Prepare policy and pricing advice.
- Brief executive and ministerial audiences.
Skills you'll use
- Microeconomic and macroeconomic theory
- Econometrics and statistical modelling
- R, Python or Stata plus advanced Excel
- Reading and applying ABS, RBA and OECD data releases
- Writing executive briefs and policy submissions
- Presenting to non-technical decision-makers and committees
- Project planning across long-cycle research
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with English plus Maths Methods (Maths Advanced is the NSW equivalent); Specialist Maths helps for honours and research paths
- 2Complete a Bachelor of Economics, Bachelor of Commerce (Economics), or PPE (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) (3-4 years)
- 3Sit honours in economics or a research-focused fourth year to unlock graduate roles at the RBA, Treasury and Productivity Commission
- 4Apply for a graduate programme at the RBA, Treasury, the ACCC, a state Treasury, or a major bank or consulting firm
- 5Consider a Masters or PhD in economics if you want to push toward chief-economist or research-leader roles
Where you can work
- Federal and state Treasury departments
- The Reserve Bank of Australia
- The Productivity Commission and the ACCC
- The Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Major banks, super funds and insurers
- Big-four and specialist economic-consulting practices
- Universities and policy-focused think tanks
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Graduate economist0-2 yearsTypical roles: Graduate economist, Research analyst, Economic analyst
- Senior analyst3-6 yearsTypical roles: Senior economist, Senior research analyst, Policy adviser
- Manager / principal7-12 yearsTypical roles: Principal economist, Manager, economic analysis, Director, policy
- Chief economist / partner12+ yearsTypical roles: Chief Economist, Partner, economic consulting, Executive director, policy
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You like building arguments out of data
- You're comfortable with maths-heavy university study and post-grad options
- You can sit with messy real-world data and still produce a defensible answer
- You can write a one-page brief that a minister could read in two minutes
- You're patient with policy and regulatory timelines
This might not suit you if
- You want to build, design or make something tangible at work
- You hate spending most of the day in spreadsheets and statistical code
- You want fast feedback loops on every decision
- You dislike writing long reports or briefing notes
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for economist. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
No direct TAFE pathway to this career.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.