© trendence | Page 1 | Global Employability Survey 2012 Results Analysis 4th July 2012

© trendence | Page 1 |

Global Employability Survey 2012Results Analysis

4th July 2012


trendence: a proven expertise in customised global studies

Over 500.000 people take part in a trendence survey each year!

Global Study on an Employer Brand’s Perception (for a global company in the aerospace industry)

What? Quantitative survey to optimise an employer’s image globally : awareness, attractiveness, criteria in choosing an employer, communication and perception.Who? Business and engineering students as well as young professionals (over 3,000 responses)Where? Brazil, China, Germany, France, Great Britain, India, Middle East, Russia, Spain, USAWhen? Winter 2010/11

Global Study on an Employer Brand’s Perception (for a global company in the aerospace industry)

What? Quantitative survey to optimise an employer’s image globally : awareness, attractiveness, criteria in choosing an employer, communication and perception.Who? Business and engineering students as well as young professionals (over 3,000 responses)Where? Brazil, China, Germany, France, Great Britain, India, Middle East, Russia, Spain, USAWhen? Winter 2010/11

Global Market Research Project to Assess EVP Claims (for a leading telecommunications company)

What? Testing of potential global Employer Value Proposition claims in terms of functionality, association and effect.

Who? Students and professionals (4,000 responses)Where? Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, USA and 13 European countries.When? Summer 2010

Global Market Research Project to Assess EVP Claims (for a leading telecommunications company)

What? Testing of potential global Employer Value Proposition claims in terms of functionality, association and effect.

Who? Students and professionals (4,000 responses)Where? Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, USA and 13 European countries.When? Summer 2010


Agenda

1. Presentation of the Global Employability Survey2. The level of graduates‘ skills3. Areas of improvement for better graduates4. The necessary qualities for long term employability5. Integration programmes: compensating and

complementing universities6. The role of universities to improve long term

employability7. Criteria to judge the quality of universities8. Countries with the best graduates9. Key findings


Survey Background

The Global Employability Survey is an online survey conducted amongst recruiters in 20 countries worldwide with the objective of determining what makes the ideal graduate on a longer term.

The survey focuses on the following subjects:

What qualities should the ideal graduate have?

What qualities make a graduate more employable in the long run?

Which universities produce the best graduates in the world?


Survey Methodology

The field phase took place from May 18th to June 7th 2012. Over 2,500 respondents from 20 countries participated in the online survey.

The survey covered the following countries:Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.

Selected participants matched the following criteria:Experience in the recruitment and selection of Bachelor/Masters graduates and young professionals Recruiting primarily corporate/business profiles


Global Employability Survey 2012 - countries

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How skilled are today‘s graduates?

Question: Generally speaking, do you think graduates in your country are well-trained (1: badly trained, 10: well trained)?

According to recruiters around the world, the know-how and personality skills of graduates are barely above average…


How skilled are today‘s graduates?

…and have not improved much in the last five years.

Questions: -Generally speaking, do you think graduates in your country are well-trained (1: badly trained, 10: well trained)?-In your experience, would you say that graduates entering the world of work today are better or worse than in the past?


Areas of improvement: Recruiters confirm the need for better professional experience

Professional experience and interpersonal skills are the biggest areas of improvement for graduates.

Question: What are, in your opinion, the biggest areas of improvement for graduates from your country? (3 max.)


Adaptability and communication skills and the most important qualities for a graduate‘s long term employability

The ability to work in a team is considered more important on the long run than leadership qualities.

Question: In my view, it is important for the long term employability of graduates that they have the following qualities (-2: I do not agree, +2: I agree)


Integration programmes: a transition into working life

Recruiters use integration programmes to compensate graduates‘ lack of professional experience.

More than half (56.6%) of recruiters agree that university graduates can and must immediately be operational in a company, but “certain things can only be learned through practice”.

Question: Does your company have an

integration programme for

graduates?

Question: Which skills of the graduates is your integration programme meant to improve?


Interpersonal qualities to improve with integration programmes

Communication and teamwork ability skills are the main interpersonal skills objectives of

integration programmes.

Question: Which interpersonal qualities is

your integration programme meant to

improve?


Recruiters: Most of all, measures to increase graduates‘ work experience are the best to improve their skills on the long run.

Question: How can universities in your view help students improve and adapt their skills throughout their career? (-2: I do not agree, +2: I agree)

Universities can help students improve their skills on the long run


Recruiters: Connection with the world of business, past experience with graduates and the quality of the staff are the

three pillars for judging the quality of a university.

What makes up the quality of a university?

Question: On the basis of which criteria do you judge the quality of a university? (-3: less important, +3: very important)

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MPA

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PAST

EXP

ERIE

NCE

STAF

F AN

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Where do the best graduates come from?

The UK has passed the USA as the countries producing the best graduates, according the recruiters.

2012 2011

Question: Based on your experience, which of these countries (apart from your own) produce the best graduates? (3 max.)

Under 8.9%: Singapore, Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico.


Key findings

Theoretical knowledge has increased among graduates but interpersonal skills and professional experience are barely above average: professional experience and interpersonal skills (social skills, communication, team work abilities) are the biggest areas of improvement.

Recruiters place value in adaptability and communication skills to determine a graduate’s long term employability. Moreover, team work ability is preferred to leadership qualities.

Graduates


Key findings

Integration programmes help most recruiters compensate the graduates’ lack of professional experience.

In terms of interpersonal skills, the improvement of key qualities such as communication skills and the ability to work in a team are the main objectives of integration programmes.

Recruiters


Key findings

Universities have their role in guaranteeing the long term employability of their graduates: Giving their graduates professional experience through internships and practical exercises for instance is the priority according to recruiters.

For recruiters, connection with the world of business, past experience with graduates and the quality of the staff are the three pillars for judging the quality of a university. However, prestige still plays a role in determining university rankings.

Universities


Key findings

Country specifics

Brazilian recruiters are the most satisfied with the interpersonal skills of their country’s graduates, but the Japanese are the least satisfied (they consider their graduates’ level under average and worse than 5 years ago).

Professional experience is the graduates’ biggest area of improvement for German and Swiss recruiters. Interpersonal skills (social skills/ communication/ team work abilities) need to be improved the most in China.

Spanish recruiters are the most demanding in terms of internationality: Spain is the country where foreign language skills and experience abroad are the biggest areas of improvement compared to other countries.

Contact:

Maxence FaasAccount Manager

[email protected]

+49 30 2592988 202

trendence Institut GmbHMarkgrafenstrasse 6210969 Berlin

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© trendence | Page 1 | Global Employability Survey 2012 Results Analysis 4th July 2012