Authors

• Aarresaari network of the Academic Career Services in Finland

Keywords

appointment to job, career development, educational certificates, employment, employment opportunities, graduates, tertiary education (first stage)

Abstract

The survey charted the career and employment situation of people who had graduated from Finnish universities with a lower (BA/BSc or equivalent) or higher (MA/MSc or equivalent) degree in 2003. The survey was conducted five years after graduation.

The first part investigated the respondents' education and work history. They were asked whether they had, after graduation, participated in job-related training, careers guidance or had studied for or completed any additional professional qualification or higher education degree. The length of time in paid employment after graduation was queried, including both work in general and work commensurate with their level of education. Further questions covered the number of employers, number of separate employment contracts and offices, whether the respondents had been entrepreneurs, self-employed or freelancers and for how long, or whether they had been outside the labour market because of a family leave. Possible periods of unemployment, obstacles to getting a job (e.g. lack of experience, challenging labour market situation in their field, gender), and employment situation at the time of graduation were investigated. Those who had not been employed at the time of graduation were asked how long it had taken to get their first job. Characteristics of the first job after graduation were surveyed, including contract type, employer type, and type of work. The respondents were also asked whether the first job had required an academic degree, whether it had been commensurate with their qualification, and to what extend they had been able to utilise knowledge and skills gained during their university studies.

The next section focused on the respondents' current employment situation. Questions covered the type of main employer, type of work, monthly gross wage income, whether they could utilise the knowledge and skills gained during their university studies, whether the job was commensurate with their level of education, and if not, why they had accepted to take the job. The respondents were presented with a number of statements relating to their job (e.g. 'my work is important', 'I have too much work', 'my contract is not secure') and asked to what extent they agreed. The respondents with fixed-term contracts were asked about the reason why the contract was fixed-term, the duration of the contract, and whether the contract had been preceded by another fixed-term contract with the same employer.

The survey also explored the respondents' satisfaction with their degree and studies. Questions covered satisfaction with the degree from the point of view of career, how important certain skills and know-how were in the respondents' current job and how well their studies had developed these skills. The skills mentioned included, for instance, theoretical or practical knowledge of their field, problem solving, managerial skills, negotiation skills, project management, communication in English, etc.

Background variables included the university attended, gender, field of study, age group at the time of graduation, and information on the degree (level of degree, number of credits required for the degree).