Effects of Cognitive and Non-Cognitive Skills on Employment Conditions of the Tertiary Graduates

Abstract

Background: Employment has become a very sensitive issue for the graduates at the recent time. Some critics argue that it is the failure of the firms who don’t create enough jobs for highly skilled people. But there are those who oppose this idea, believing that educational institutions are failing to prepare the candidates adequately for better jobs. And so, a graduate requires skills beyond academic qualifications to compete in the job market. Following this argument, the authors conducted an empirical investigation by setting up a regression model to see the effects of changes in cognitive and non-cognitive skills on job searching period. Next, the authors examined the effects of job searching period and selective cognitive, non-cognitive factors on employment outcome in a binary logistic model. Aim of the Study: This study was conducted to see the effects of changes in cognitive and non-cognitive skills on job searching period. Another aim was to observe the effects of job searching period and selective cognitive, non-cognitive factors on employment outcome in a binary logistic model. Methods: For the current paper, only Bachelor degree holders were included in the sample. Based on the assumption of the normality test, the data seemed to have a non-normal distribution. As a result, the authors applied log-transformation method in order to convert the data into natural log units. Likert scale method was used to collect primary data on non-cognitive skills in a survey research method that used a questionnaire instrument. Few important variables which are examined by other authors such as field of study, institutional reputation were excluded from the current model and it might have produced some bias in the results but time constraint was a big limitation. Results: It was primarily found that not all non-cognitive factors were significant for changes in job searching periods. However, the binary model dictates a significant relationship among the employment outcomes, job searching period and emotional intelligence (non-cognitive factor). Bachelor results and categories of education were included as proxy variables to represent the cognitive level of the respondents. Conclusion: Graduates must emphasize to develop their non-cognitive skills other than academic qualifications. Universities, schools, colleges and other institutions must undertake special programs to develop and to evaluate non-cognitive skills of the graduates other than their academic results in order to prepare them adequately for the future job market.