Relationship between Perceived Employability and Employability Skills and Attributes among Business Graduates

Research has identified the importance of perceived employability in enhancing new graduates’ job search and finding initial employment. Students with high perceived employability are likely to have high self-confidence and perseverance in their job search, which may lead to early initial employment post-graduation. Perceived employability affects how new graduating students approach competitive and congested labour markets and is seen as one of the most important predictors of a new graduate getting and retaining a job. However, few studies have examined the relationship between perceived employability and disaggregated employability skills and attributes. This study examines the above relationship, arguing that not all employability factors and attributes equally impact perceived employability. Using factor analysis and linear regression, the study identifies a specific group of employability factors and attributes that are seen to have a significant effect on perceived employability. These are graduating students’ multidisciplinary decision-making skills, self-efficacy, perseverance, and proactivity, enhancing female graduating students’ confidence in job search, and universities widening their application of integrative innovative pedagogies in their degree programs. Universities that have adopted graduate employability as one of their missions are encouraged to foster the development of the above-identified employability factors, which have a significant association with the perceived employability of graduating business students.