Newly graduated teachers say there's a shortage of primary school jobs available, and it's stopping them eventually qualifying as teachers.

An NZEI survey of newly-graduated primary teachers reveals massive underemployment, with many teachers in a state of stress, despair and debt.

Graduates have five years to gain full certification, but when teachers are unable to get fulltime work, it becomes almost impossible.

National Secretary Paul Goulter said sadly, it's what they've been expecting.

"Anecdotally we've been told this has been happening for a number of years, but it's still very, very gob-smacking to find the waste that this failure of workforce planning has produced in the teaching workforce."

Mr Goulter said a labour market failure has led to a mis-match between supply and demand.

"They're essentially a casualised workforce - that means they struggle to get the support induction and ongoing mentoring that you need to succeed in a vocation like teaching."

The Ministry of Education’s own figures show that just 15 percent of beginning teachers are getting full-time, permanent jobs.