Future Career Expectations of University Students in the Process of Entering the Workforce

Abstract

Currently, university students must deal with job instability and difficulties finding permanent employment when transitioning into the workforce. The aim of this research is to analyze the expectations of the final year undergraduate students in relation to the process of entering the workforce and compare this data based on the university, gender, and employment status of each university student. 1610 students from national and international universities have participated by completing the Career Guidance and Transition into the Workforce Questionnaire (COIL, in Spanish). The main results show, on the one hand, the predisposition of the university students searching for employment related to their studies once they graduate (69.9%). On the other hand, half of the participants prefer to continue studying and thereby prolong the moment of transition into the workforce (53.5%). Significant differences are evident when comparing this data to university, gender, and work experience, generating a series of disparate professional expectations based on the sociodemographic and personal characteristics of the students. These results are consistent with other studies where university students tend to postpone entering the labor market for different reasons (Chalela et al., 2017) as well as with the differences that are established based on the socioeconomic reality of the students (Aramendi et al., 2019).To sum up, this research reveals the concerns and/or perspectives of university students in accordance with their professional and personal goals, essential in the career guidance process that must be conveyed from higher education.