1001EHR Work and Employability, Osmolovskaia Irina, 5004826

What are the challenges facing students for employment after

finishing University?
The main purpose of this report is to consider the issue of employment faced by students after
the completion of University, paying particular attention to three issues: unemployment in
Australia, The casualisation of Australias workforce and the effect of a lack of work
experience. The report will review whether there is a relationship between unemployment and
qualification, the effect of casualisation on Australias workforce and to what extent getting
work experience during undergraduate education is necessary for employment and whether it
can affect academic performance. Finally we consider the possibilities of resolving these
issues.
An issue of note for graduates is unemployment. According to the Australian Bureau of
Statistics, the current unemployment rate in Australia was 5.7% on 9th August 2016 and
currently remains stable; the number of part-time employees continues to grow and increased
by 10,200 persons for August, while the number of full-time employees decreased by 400
persons; the unemployment rate increased by 8.6%, and this equates to 15,400 persons in
August 2016. Unemployment increased by 37,700 persons in total during last year
(Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2016). Among the age groups between 20-24 years,
the unemployment rate is 9.2% and participation rate is 78.5%; in the group of 25-34 years,
the unemployment rate is slightly lower and it is 5.2% (McPhail, Jerrard, & Southcombe,
2015). However, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there was an increase in
demand for vocational and higher education qualifications observed over the same time.
Therefore statistics demonstrate that 82% of people with a non-school qualification were
employed and 61% without a non-school qualification in 2015 (Australian Bureau of
Statistics [ABS], 2015, Type of activity section, para. 2). Additionally 63% of employed
people aged 2544 years of age were employed in a job relevant to their highest non-school
qualification, but 72% of them have a postgraduate award (Australian Bureau of Statistics
[ABS], 2015, Type of activity section, para. 7).
The second problem faced by graduates is the casualisation of the workforce. Dale (2013)
considers that casual employment in Australia is more prevalent than temporary work in
most European Nations (p. 297). At the same time, Watson (2013) believes that increasing
the level of education plays an insignificant role in obtaining a permanent job, but his
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research has shown that Bachelor degree-holders, in most cases, is more likely to go from
casual to fixed-term jobs when compared with other classifications, such as Certificates
III/IV, Diploma or Advanced Diploma. In addition, the level of education is important within
the industry which is populated with graduates, for example, high levels of casual
employment were observed in nursing and high education workforces (Becker, McCutcheon,
& Hegney, 2010; Gottschalk & McEachern, 2010).
Finally, the third problem is a lack of work experience that is relative to the students chosen
future profession. The research, conducted at the University of New South Wales (UNSW)
among undergraduate accounting students in 2007, showed that relevant part-time work,
academic performance and social (extra-curricular) activities are significant factors leading to
job offers prior to graduation (Cheng, Kang, Roebuck, & Simnett, 2009, p. 342). This
research has shown that an increase in working hours has no significant detrimental impact
on students' academic performance, because an increase in working hours does not seem to
come at the expense of hours spent on university studies, since contrary to some previous
research, the findings show no significant correlation between working hours and weighted
average mark (Cheng et al., 2009, p. 348). While part-time work that is related to a students
career greatly increases the chances of students getting a job after graduation (Cheng et al.,
2009). The importance of work experience is confirmed by research carried out in European
universities: higher education develops researching skills, an ability to think independently
and make informed arguments, but because of the high competition in the labor market and
employer 'demands, students should be able to adapt to the new conditions of economic
pressures and constantly develop themselves and work experience included in the higher
education program will help future graduates in this (Helyer & Lee, 2014). As well it will
help students to define their career plans and makes their expectations more realistic
(Schoffstall & Arendt, 2016).
In conclusion, graduates face difficulties in finding employment after completing University,
but they can be overcome with the right strategy and tactics: to get work experience during
undergraduate education and to take in consideration the option of postgraduate education.
Par-time work, of about 14-16 hours per week, did not significantly effect a students'
academic performance, but also helped to be competitive in the labor market, to adapt to the
economic integration, to improve self-confidence, to determine the pathway to achieve career
goal, to establish the right connections and contacts. This would in the future, significantly
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increase the chances of getting full-time work and would greatly reduce the chances of being
unemployed. In turn postgraduate education can especially minimize issues of unemployment
and certainly add to a plethora of opportunities.

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Reference
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Labour Force Survey, Australia, Aug 2016,
(Catalogue No. 6202.0). Retrieved from
http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6202.0?opendocument&ref=HPKI
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2015). Qualifications and Work, Australia, 2015, (Catalogue
No. 4235.0). Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats
%5Cabs@.nsf/0/1839355F55AC72F6CA2579AA000F256C?Opendocument
Becker, S., McCutcheon, H., & Hegney, D. (2010). Casualisation in the Nursing Workforce the Need to Make It Work. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 28(1), 45-51.
Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/fullText;dn=05317379539478
9;res=IELHEA
Cheng, M., Kang, H., Roebuck, P., & Simnett, R. (2009). The Employment Landscape for
Accounting Graduates and Work Experience Relevance. Australian accounting review,
19(4), 342-351. doi:10.1111/j.1835-2561.2009.00071.x
Dale, T. (2013). Precarious work and Australian labour norms. Economic and Labour
Relations Review, 24(3), 297-315. Retrieved from
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4;res=IELAPA
Gottschalk, L., & McEachern, S. (2010). The Frustrated Career: Casual Employment in
Higher Education. Australian Universities' Review, 52(1), 37-50. Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/fullText;dn=93845626475773
6;res=IELAPA

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Helyer, R., & Lee, D. (2014). The Role of Work Experience in the Future Employability of
Higher Education Graduates. Higher education quarterly, 68(3), 348-372.
doi:10.1111/hequ.12055
McPhail, R., Jerrard, M., & Southcombe, A. (2015). Employment Relations: An Integrated
Approach (1st ed.). South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Cengage Learning Australia
Pty Limited.
Schoffstall, D. G., & Arendt, S. W. (2016). Hospitality students work experiences and an
examination of their perceptions of the future. Journal of Human Resources in
Hospitality & Tourism, 15(2), 209-229. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/10.1080/15332845.2016.1084862
Watson, I. (2013). Bridges or Traps? Casualisation and Labour Market Transitions in
Australia. The Journal of Industrial Relations, 55(1), 6-37.
doi:10.1177/0022185612465535

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Appendix

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