Chapter II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

In this chapter, it presents and shows the related literature and studies after an in-depth
search done by the researchers. Furthermore, it also shows the different study results that are in
unison to the study conducted while showing similarities and interrelatedness to both studies; in
trends and in-depth analysis.
Tracer Study
A tracer study is an approach which is widely being utilized in most institutions and they
are generally utilized by most educational institutions to track and to keep record of their
students once they have finished their academic journey from the institution. Through tracer
study, an institution is able to evaluate the quality of education given to their graduates by
knowing the graduates placements and positions in the society which later can be used as a
benchmark in producing more qualified and competitive graduates.
Profile
The Philippines may go beyond the standing of employment in the country, rights and
importance should be understood. As acknowledged by most experts, the view of low literacy
rates in rising unemployment in developing countries has grown to be an essential factor that
increasing educational opportunities must be provided for the great fraction of adult population
as well as the immense number of youth outside the formal school system in order to provide
assistance to acquire further comprehension and skills to develop their source of revenue and
strengthen the country. As a Nursing student, one thing that must be considered is the perception

that there is no age matter when it comes to job opportunities because in the field of working, to
be equal to any person who are capable of doing the job is a factor to be employed and also,
scholastic achievements and remarks must be honed for a better opportunity waiting outside the
horizon.
The Philippines has the highest literacy rate of workers in the entire Asia, its technical,
manual and managerial skills are poorly developed and in short supply. There is over-abundance,
law and other professionals exceed in demand to find employment appropriate to his or her
educational attainment. A sad reality has shown that even college graduates may find it difficult
to be employed if they are not well-equipped of trainings and programs that their college offered
(Delos Santos, 2011).
Education has long been regarded as one of the primary components for poverty
reduction and socio-economic upliftment. Tertiary education particularly is tasked to train the
nations manpower in the skills required for national development, and to instill and foster the
appropriate and relevant, knowledge, skills, and attitudes to enable each individual to become a
useful, productive and gainfully employed member of society. Investments in education would
be considered wasted if people do not move into productive jobs that enable them to pay taxes
and support public services.
Employment
In the Philippines, the Secretary of Labor may direct all persons or entities within the
coverage of this study to submit a report on the status of employment, which includes job
vacancies, details of the job requisitions, separation from job wages, other terms and conditions,
and other employment data. This makes the job seekers aware of the proper job that is inclined to

their attainment is available for application. In this process, it will strengthen the awareness of
the public to know the standing of the employment in the country (DOLE, 2010).
Employment is the capacity of an individual to showcase his/her talents and capabilities
and to use his/her trainings gathered in the course program for the sustainance of the global
demand. According to Powers, marketable skills provided todays crop of workers employment
opportunity (Powers, 2011). This is very relevant as of todays employment trend because it
pointed out that educational background is really a very important in having the marketability
and general skills needed in finding an appropriate job. It also helps develop such skills among
college graduates for them to find or to get an appropriate job, especially for fresh Nursing
graduates.
As stated by McIntosh, employees performance on the job and attitude about the job
depends on the degree to which the manager fulfills the needs. It highly stated that an employees
performances on his/her current job is strongly affected by his/her educational background and
degree, to which it pointed out that whatever your educational background should be specific to
your job your doing in (McIntosh, 2009).
The quality of a persons work life should improve as more and more needed values are
satisfied by that individuals job and career progression. This assesses that employees must
improve the quality of work life in determining the aspects of work situation especially for fresh
Nursing graduates (McIntosh, 2009).
Unemployment
According to Arcelo, the survival of the huge number of educated unemployed individual
can direct to a certain amount of political volatility in the country, for them, being among the

educated division and erudite about the different privileges the society can offer; feel
undoubtedly destitute (Arcelo, 2012). In this matter, the analysis of the unemployment situation
in the Philippines shown that the young graduates is still in the job-hunting stage. According to
the Philippine Labor Code, the employer has a right to select his employees and to decide when
to engage them. He has a right under the law to full freedom in employing any person free to
accept employment from him, and this, except as restricted by valid statute or valid contract, at a
wage and under conditions agreeable to them; hereby distinguishing the importance of being
employed and the choice in choosing a particular job that they desired to apply in (Santiago,
2011).
Unemployment is the outgrowth of a process of job search where workers have limited
information about the labor market. On the other hand, people who first begin looking for jobs
lack basic information, helps the graduates to disseminate the rejection of jobs to higher
expectations. Job searching is a wide process action wherein job seekers should gain more
knowledge and information that will reach their satisfaction on what and where to find jobs that
will bring out their profession (Gunt, 2011).
The unemployment rate in Philippines was last reported at 7.00 percent in July of 2012,
21 percent of which are college graduates. Historically, from 1995 until 2012, Philippines
unemployment rate averaged 9.0 percent reaching an all time high of 13.9 percent in April of
2002 and a record low of 6.3 percent in October of 2007. The unemployment rate can be defined
as the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labor force (BLES,
2012).
Underemployment

The Philippine society as of today has encountered so many problems in terms of labor or
employment. Labor only contracting in a cabo economy that some economist would justify
labor only contracts as our only weapon to remain competitive. Some of the workers are seeking
for better employment opportunities abroad for a high salary. In the case of the fresh Nursing
graduates today, their first problem is seeking job after graduation or passing the NLE. Knowing
that it is very hard to find a job suitably to their educational background right away after
graduation or passing the NLE may cause to trigger them to work not aligned to the profession
they graduate for the usual reason is the salary that they can get right away. Some would go
abroad to find their destiny or for some reason that they will get a high salary than to continue
their profession as a Nurse here in the Philippines with no increase of wages and benefits. In an
increasingly globalized world, there is a growing pressure for fresh graduates to compete for jobs
which are not growing at the same pace with the growth in population of young people seeking
gainful employment. According to the International Labor Organization Youth Employment
Networks (YEN), young people are actively seeking to participate in the world of work and are
two to three times more likely than the older generations to find themselves unemployed
(International Labor Organization (ILO), 2010).

Young people are defined by the UN as

individuals between the age of 15 to 24 years, and adults as individuals of age 25 and over.
According to UN statistics, there are over 1 billion young people in 2010, which translates to one
in every five who could be classified in this category. Thus, young people accounts for 20% of
the total world population, 85 per cent are living in developing countries, of which 60 percent are
located in Asia. In the UN Report of 2015, it was estimated that about 100 million of these
youths are enrolled in university-level education. However and despite the fact that young people
appear to be receiving more and better education, youth unemployment has increased steadily

since 1993. This situation is worsening with YEN projecting about 1 billion people entering or
becoming of working age within the next decade (ILO, 2010).
The Philippines as a developing country faces this same challenges having been beset
for decades with structurally high unemployment and underemployment rates. High population
and labor force growth continues to outpace formal job creation. The Philippine education
system churns out more and more college graduates with various professional disciplines such
as commerce, engineering, health, sciences and law to name a few. But the jobs are not really
created as fast as the universities handing out of the college diploma.
Majority of the respondents (78 or 81.30%) were employed compared to those graduates
who were unemployed (15.60%) or never employed (3.10). This is indicative of the high
demand for nursing practitioners it can be concluded that graduates of BSN can easily find a job
due to the demands of the market in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and other
industry. This was supported by Mitchell and Ashley (2011) who point out that the most
important pro-poor impact of nursing is the local employment generated by the industry.
Nursing is significantly more labor intensive than other non-agricultural sectors as supported by
cross-country comparison data for Nursing employment. In the past Tracer Study of Bachelor of
Science in Nursing of Lyceum of the Philippines University from 2001-2005 conducted by
Meez and Ylagan (2011) they also posted a 91.30 percent employability for Nursing graduates.
The table also revealed a 15.60 percent unemployment rate and 3.10 percent of those who have
never been employed. The reasons given were family concerns, personal decisions, and health
concerns. Majority of the Nursing graduates are contractual (29%) and temporary (26.92%)
with 8 percent self employed. The nursing industry like any other industry strictly adheres with
the policy on employment status. Unfortunately some of this hospitality and tourism enterprises

made a paradigm shift in regularizing their employees, wherein they utilize the outsourcing
mechanism which unloads them from their regularization responsibilities. This new mechanism
hinders the possibilities of the Nursing graduates to be permanent in the job, because they are
employed on contractual basis.
There were 67.95 percent of the graduates are working in the Philippines. The result
implies that most of international hospitality and tourism job opportunities require ample work
experience that they have to settle for a local job. The nursing industry has been experiencing
some downfall. A plethora of new opportunities have been opened; contractual work status is
becoming an ever stronger force to be reckoned with; new concepts are abounding; and there is a
constant need for top-level industry consultants to advise on the profession as its trans-global
expansion continues apace. On the other hand, the succeeding table presents the First job After
College of the Nursing graduates, it was revealed that 61.54 percent of the respondents is
presently not working with their first job after graduation. This table shows that majority of the
nursing graduates are showing stability in their chosen first job. It was revealed in an informal
interview with the graduates that most of them are still with their first job because they like to
gain industry experience. Thirty one respondents or 39.74 percent stayed for salaries and benefit
reasons, and followed by career challenge. The respondents had a first job related to Nursing (44
or 56.41%). The industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, requiring a high
degree of technical and managerial competence for aspiring professionals wishing to enter the
field. The industrys rate of growth is unmatched by any other field offering professions that
have consistently shown real growth. The data in reveal that majority of the respondents find the
first job in one year to less than two years and followed by one to six months responses. This
result only signifies the competitiveness of the LPU BSN graduate especially in, the medical

industry where the demand and looking for qualified employees who will carry out the job
required by the business is high.
Recognizing the importance of evaluating the status of an educational institutions alumni
is crucial to its growth if not to its existence. This need is recognized by government agencies
that govern the quality of instruction in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The Commission
on Higher Education (CHED) is conducting a comprehensive study that requires all HEIs to do
individual graduate tracer studies on their respective alumni. The result of the research will
become a tool in pursuant to the envisioned upgrading of the educational system in the country.
A move to outcome-based evaluation from an evaluation system based more on inputs represents
a shift from the quantitative to the qualitative. The process is more searching, because the
account must be reflective, and provide a justification of why things are done in a way that it has
been chosen. Effectiveness of process has to be demonstrated, in relation to intended outcomes.
Factual data is still required, but to support a case that a department is performing effectively,
rather than as an end in itself.
The approach is less prescriptive, for example a department must decide whether a
particular set of data is relevant to a demonstration of effectiveness, rather than providing it
simply because it has been required (CHED IQUAME Primer, 2010). Another government
agency that pursued graduate tracer studies is the Technical Education and Skills Development
Authority (TESDA). TESDA has embarked to undertake various studies and researches on
Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programs and related TVET developments
with the end view of coming up with evidence-based policy recommendations to be used by the
management. One of which is the Expanded Tracer Study of SY 2010-2011 Post-Secondary
Graduates conducted at the latter part of 2012.

This study was undertaken to ascertain the effectiveness of TVET programs of all TVET
institutions as manifested by the employability of its graduates. The result of this studies served
as benchmark in determining performance in the provision of middle-level skills development
services of the different TVET players of the regions. It is envisioned to provide signals on the
kind of jobs TVET graduates go into; their income levels; the length of job search before landing
their first job; and the certification, among others. Sub-module of the study was the evaluation of
the PESFA graduates during the same period. This undertaking was done as part of the regular
Monitoring and Evaluation of Training Performance (METP) System spearheaded by the
Planning Office of TESDA. The previous conduct of the graduate tracer study was undertaken in
2010 (TESDA), 2010).
A study by S.N Zembere and M.P.M. Chinyama of the University of Malawi, discusses
the results of the tracer study of the graduates of the University of Malawi who graduated
between 2007 and 2015. The main objective of the tracer study was to examine the changes in
the career pattern of the graduates in order to provide a basis of evaluation of the current
programs of the University of Malawi. The significance of the study is to provide a continuation
of the process of evaluation of the performance of the college as well as the graduates of the
college. Another study, Tracer Study of Nursing graduates of 2010 and 2011 conducted by
Management Information System Unit of Science and Technology Policy Research Division of
the National Science Foundation Of Sri Lanka, the results of the study shows the trend of the
employment status of the graduate by gender, employed and unemployed rates, sector
employment, achievements, waiting time for the graduates for their first paid employment,
waiting time for the graduates employment according to gender, view of the graduates for the
effectiveness of the degree course, view of the graduates on the relevance of degree course to

current employment, reasons for being engaged in fields not related to degree course, self
employed graduates, obstacles faced by graduates when finding employment.
The results of the study will also provide evaluation on how more will the college will provide
updates on the degree course, so as to provide the basic requirements of the industry for
employment. With the increase in the number of College graduates in the population, increasing
also the rate of unemployment in the country, employment opportunities for graduates have
become very competitive, Routine Alumni Tracer Study conducted by Maldives College of
Higher education hopes to assess the employment status of their graduates, assess the impact of
graduates training on job appointment and assess how graduates perceive their college in relation
to their academic and professional developments. Same objectives also this aims to achieve for
their graduates. Career Outcomes of Graduates 2014, a study by Manwel Debono, Albert Debono
and Noel Caruana focuses on the employability of the graduates. The study presented in this
document provides a useful and essential tool when it comes to policy design and development
in both the spheres of education and employment; two sectors that are welded and
complementary. A close analysis of the findings leads one to conclude that the role of career
guidance is a crucial and vital aspect of any persons career path. Career guidance creates the
possibility for a person to identify capacities, competences and interests that will lead to making
appropriate educational, training and occupational decisions. Same concern of this study is to
determine the trainings and advance studies attended by the graduates after finishing college. The
college might as well provide career guidance that can provide significant support to individuals
during their transition between levels of sector of education and trainings. On higher education
institutions, a website posted by Far Eastern University becomes a tool in tracing the
whereabouts of their alumni. On the same note, the College of Nursing, gears itself through the
help of the University Research Center (URC) in the conduct of this study