Tekijät

• Aarresaari network of the Academic Career Services in Finland

Asiasanat

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

Sisällön kuvaus

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 2009. 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, career guidance or had studied for or completed any additional professional qualification or higher education degree. 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.

Periods of unemployment, obstacles to getting a job (e.g. lack of experience, challenging labour market situation in the 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 the job. The respondents were presented with a number of statements relating to their job and e.g. whether their work was in line with their career goals and whether they found their work mentally stressful. The respondents with fixed-term contracts were asked why their contract was fixed-term.

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, and communication in English. It was also surveyed which of these skills the respondents deemed the most important in the future.

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