Authors

• Aarresaari network of the Academic Career Services in Finland

Keywords

appointment to job, career, educational certificates, employment opportunities, graduates, higher education institutions, labour force, temporary employment, tertiary education

Abstract

The survey charted the career and employment situation of Bachelors and Masters who graduated from Finnish universities in 2001. The survey was conducted five years after the respondents' graduation, and it charted the stability of the first years of their careers, and whether their job was commensurate with their qualifications.

The respondents' work history was charted by asking them whether they had earned other degrees or participated in labour force training or pursued post-graduate studies after the degree earned in 2001. The time spent in paid employment after graduation was queried, including both work in general and work commensurate with their qualifications. The number of employers and separate employments and offices was charted, as well as whether the respondents had been entrepreneurs, self-employed or freelancers and how long, and whether they had been outside the labour market because of family leave. Possible periods of unemployment were also canvassed. The respondents were presented with potential obstacles to getting a job (e.g. lack of experience, weak labour market situation in the field, gender) and asked to assess how much each of them had hindered their employment. Their employment situation at the time of graduation was also charted, and those who had not been employed at that time were asked how long it had taken for them to receive their first job. In relation to the respondents' first place of work after graduation, they were also asked to indicate the nature of contract, type of employer, and type of work. They were also asked whether a higher academic degree had been a prerequisite for the first job, and how much they could utilise the knowledge gained at the university.

The respondents' current employment situation, type of main employer, and type of work were charted. They were also asked where they had received information about their current job. The respondents' monthly gross income in September 2006 was queried (including bonuses, taxable values of fringe benefits, and overtime compensations). They were also presented with a set of attitudinal statements on whether they liked their job. The respondents who were in temporary employment were asked to tell the most important reason for the temporary nature of the contract, the duration of the contract, and whether the contract was preceded by another temporary contract with the same employer. Correspondence between work and education was studied by asking the respondents whether a higher academic degree had been a prerequisite for their current job, whether their current job responsibilities corresponded with their academic education and field of study, and whether they could utilise the knowledge gained at the university in their current job. If they did not fully correspond, the respondents were asked to name the most important reason for accepting the job. The importance of university education was probed by charting the respondents' satisfaction with their academic degree from the point of view of career. Finally, the importance of various skills (e.g. information retrieval skills, managing skills, Finnish communication skills) in the respondents' current job was surveyed, as well as how well their university studies had developed these skills.

Background variables included the respondent's university, gender, field of study, age group at the time of graduation, and information on the degree (degree title, level of degree, length in credits).