Employability Skills Requirements of Labor Employing Industries in Oyo State, Nigeria

It is well known that there is a significant skill difference between beginners’ job requirements and the employability of graduates. Many of the graduates from Nigeria’s knowledge institutions do not possess the basic skills that employers of labour look out for when carrying out their recruitment process. This research objective is to examine the perceptions of labour recruiters and industries about the skills, knowledge and attributes which make graduates employable and also the most important and most sought after skill(s) from the various industries. The target population for this study comprises the employers of labour, human resource personnel of each industry, recruitment team of each industry, managers, and heads of departments as well as establishment officers of universities that see to the recruitment of workers. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted for the study. Fifty-five respondents; employers of labour who are graduates were selected from four different industries for the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics tools were used in analysing the data collected. Communication, learning, creativity, presentation skills and the use of technology are some of the skills requirements by almost all the employers in the industries. Findings from the study also shows that not only graduate employability skills are important for securing a place in the labour market, but also essential is the graduate’s application of the skills learnt and acquired from the knowledge institution. The study recommends strong sustainable linkage between knowledge institutions and graduate employers to reduce unemployment rate. Also, curriculum used in the tertiary institutions should be developed with contributions from the government agencies and industries such that what is required for improved graduate performance in the workplaces and national development will be included in the curriculum.