College undergraduates and postgraduates are having a hard time finding a job. Not because they're not qualified, but because there just aren't enough jobs out there for them, according to a new study.
Although undergrads do fall behind in common basic and applied skills, the study from the Society for Human Resource Management finds that this is unlikely to be the reason for unemployment. Forty-seven percent of respondents report hiring at least one recent undergraduate, an increase from 41 percent in 2011 and 30 percent in 2010, and 64 percent of jobs filled during survey were for full-time positions. Another 19 percent of those positions were for temporary or contract jobs, and 15 percent were part-time positions.
Thirty-one percent of respondents have hired postgraduates, up from 26 percent in 2011 and 20 percent in 2010. Of those job offers, 83 percent were for full-time positions while 7 percent were for temporary and contract work, and another 7 percent were for part-time positions.
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Still, 53 percent of respondents have not hired 2012 undergraduates and postgraduates and are unlikely to hire them at all this year. In fact, 75 percent of respondents have no available openings for recent graduates, and 8 percent are undergoing hiring freezes.
The study also finds that 18 percent of respondents say recent graduates are under-qualified for open positions; however, 17 percent of respondents say they are overqualified for available positions.
"What do graduates today bring to the job? They're likely to be savvy in technology say many employers," says Mark Schmit, vice president of research at SHRM. "Still, they must improve basic skills/ knowledge, such as English grammar and spelling, and applied skills, such as critical thinking to best compete for jobs and transition into the ones they land."
Regarding applied skills, respondents say recent graduates lack written communication skills at 41 percent, critical thinking and problem solving skills at 38 percent, and oral communication skills at 30 percent. For basic skills and knowledge areas, respondents say recent graduate do not have adequate English grammar and spelling skills at 45 percent, mathematics skills at 17 percent and spoken English skills at 12 percent.
Of the most difficult jobs to fill are highly skilled technical abilities, scientists, engineers, managers and executives, respondents say.
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