WELLINGTON could be the most intelligent region in the country, according to census figures recently released by Statistics New Zealand.
The census data shows Wellington has the highest percentage of people with a bachelor’s degree or higher at 28.1% of the region’s population.
This compares with Auckland region at 24.7% and Canterbury region having 18%.
Percentage of people with Degrees:
Matthew, a Wellington recruitment agency worker, says a reason for Wellington’s high percentage of degree holders is because of the number of political jobs available.
“It’s a lot to do with the government sector being in Wellington,” he says.
People who work in this sector need to be highly skilled, he adds.
Chantelle, a worker at Capital Recruitment, agrees that government jobs could be a factor in the region’s higher than average degree count.
She says this is because people who have a degree have greater earning power.
“I’ve dealt with the invoices of people who work in the government sector and they earn lots,” she says.
However, she adds that experience is also vital.
“What I’ve found is people who have work experience have a better chance than people who have a degree,” she says.
However, if you live in Wellington and don’t have a degree, there’s no need fret.
Apple founder, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, never got a degree and both became billionaires.
