Economics and business administration post-graduates in transition from university to work: Labor market success factors

Due to rapid economic changes employers require more versatile competences from post-graduates in economics and business administration. The goal of the current study was to develop generalizable measures for self-reported competences in labor market surveys, and to investigate their predictive validity. The sample consisted of more than 4000 Dutch post-graduates in economics and business administration. The Rasch rating scale model indicated that self-reported acquired competences and self-reported required competences are two different constructs. Employers (as reported by the alumni) prioritize competences in different ways than education programs. Regressions revealed that specifically alumni’s self-reported required competences and GPA were powerful positive predictors of labor market success, whereas the self-reported acquired competences were negative or neutral predictors.