Essay on Problem With Employment Opportunities for College Students

The current labor market needs the best trained and exposed college graduates with complex knowledge to enter employment opportunities. Students face the problem of gaining skills that match the requirements of the labor market. The challenge of gaining the best job-oriented competencies while in college is quite cumbersome given that institutions determine the curriculum without involving the employers. The aspect of tailoring post-secondary education to fit the expectations of the labor market will remain unsolved until colleges engage employers to exchange information on the most appropriate skills that increase the employability of graduates. Career-development of college students is facing the problem of over-education phenomenon and the horizontal-mismatch phenomenon that influence wage gaps and job mobility.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Over-education phenomenon involves the aspect of college graduates possessing higher educational level compared to the labor market needs (Moore & Rosenbloom, 2016). The vertical phenomenon affects graduates that have surplus competencies, which means that their skills are underutilized. Moreover, potential income of the broadly educated college graduates is much lower. Underpayment demotivates the skilled individuals, who are likely to consider starting their own firms or consider joining other employment opportunities. Therefore, the permanency and retention of highly skilled workers is somehow difficult unless the employer increase their potential income. Sometimes, companies shun professionals with high competencies and most of them suffer from underemployment.

Students out of college experience a hard time in matching their competencies with the persisting wage penalties. However, graduates with higher skills experience higher rates of job mobility that may attract higher wages. Overeducated graduates are more likely to pursue further education to increase their skills if they suffer from unemployment. Acquisition of additional degrees for the vertical-mismatched students usually corresponds with the current employment demands of the labor market (Moore & Rosenbloom, 2016). Lack of appropriate competencies force a college student to enroll with appropriate institutions to further their education.

Horizontal mismatch phenomenon describes the individuals capacity to use their education to fit the available occupational fields (Moore & Rosenbloom, 2016). Research asserts that the rate of horizontal-mismatch hinders the career development of an individual and reduces the expected wages earned. Likewise, job mobility of graduates without appropriate competencies is undermined by lack of suitable skills. The problem demands for further education and training to acquire appropriate employability skills that match the labor market.

The ever-changing dynamics of the employment market demands for new set of skills that the education system may not supply in a timely manner. College students suffering from horizontal mismatch phenomenon experience the worst form of job mobility. Moreover, they are unable to switch from a lower to a higher paying opportunity because of lacking the required academic or skill competencies. A solution would engage an individual gaining occupational experience through industrial training or schooling.

In conclusion, the primary problems affecting the employability of college students are the vertical-mismatch and the horizontal mismatch phenomenon. The aspect over-education leads to the challenge of filling the available employment opportunities at a lower wage. Alternatively, a more competent graduate can either continue education or opt for different job opportunities that satisfy the acquired skills. On the other hand, horizontal-mismatched graduates have appropriate competencies but cannot fully use the skills in an alternative field. Therefore, one is expected to acquire more skills through training in order to qualify for better wages and job mobility. Reference

Moore, S., & Rosenbloom, T. (2016). Over education and educational-occupational mismatch: A distinguished integration. Journal of Career Development, 43(6).