Minister urges kids not to dismiss science

Young Australians should continue to think seriously about studies in maths, technology or science despite existing poor employment prospects in those fields.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham is urging students not to let the latest statistics sway them from seeing the importance of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).

"Just as sound literacy and numeracy are absolute prerequisites for success, increasingly STEM skills will become another 'must have'," he told a conference of education researchers on Monday.

But students should still consider job prospects when choosing a course and keep in mind that generalist degrees, such as those in science, often needed to be followed with further specialist study.

Just half of science bachelor graduates secured full-time jobs four months after finishing their degree in 2015, the Grattan Institute's annual Australian higher education report has found.

That's 17 points below the average for all graduates, although their job outcomes did improve over time.

"Prospective students thinking about studying science need to know that a bachelor science degree is high risk for finding a job," the institute's Andrew Norton said.

Senator Birmingham said universities must be mindful of employment opportunities when enrolling students in courses.

But he's confident the future jobs requiring strong maths and science skills will appear - in areas such as genetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology, 3D printing and biotechnology - with even traditional jobs increasingly requiring ever-changing technical skills.