Australia's finance and insurance industry is among the 5 industry divisions in which females outnumber males. Women's share of industry jobs has risen from 51% to 55% in the last decade. However, there is a pronounced gap in earnings between male and female workers. Employers expressed below-average satisfaction with vocational education and training (VET), especially with the relevance of courses to their needs and teacher ability and experience. VET graduates gave a lower rating to their course in terms of employment relevance than did graduates in any other industry. Graduates were particularly critical of equipment quality and the provision of information on jobs and careers. (An appendix contains three tables of statistics: national shifts in employment in various occupations in Australia; numbers of persons employed in various categories in the finance and insurance industry from 1987-1996; and educational attainment of persons in occupations within the industry.) (KC)