The boom in university graduates and the risk of underemployment

Abstract

the boom in university graduates and the risk of underemploymentBetter information on university quality may reduce underemployment and overeducation in developing countries Keywords: underemployment, university professionals, skilled labor, overeducation, higher education, educational mismatch ProsRegulating the quantity and quality of university graduates might reduce the probability of overeducation and professional underemployment. Preventing the unbridled growth of public and private universities could avoid waste of resources in low-return investments arising from information asymmetry about university quality. Regulating university quantity and quality would provide students with information on university quality and employability of graduates needed for better decisions on long-term investments in human capital. ConsLimiting growth in the number of university students may constrain improvements in the human capital stock of the economy. Limiting growth in the number of university students would reduce the economic and productivity growth potential of the economy. Intervening in the higher education market could impede the upward economic and social mobility of younger members of the population. Regulations affecting the quantity and quality of university graduates might be difficult to enforce in countries with weak institutional capacity. KEY FINdINGs ELEvatoR PItCHAs the number of secondary school graduates rises, many developing countries expand the supply of public and private universities or face pressure to do so. However, several factors point to the need for caution, including weak job markets, low-quality university programs, and job-education mismatches. More university graduates in this context could exacerbate unemployment, underemployment, and overeducation of professionals. Whether governments should regulate the quantity or quality of university programs, however, depends on the specific combination of factors in each country. autHoR's maIN mEssaGEA rapid increase in university graduates in developing countries might exacerbate overeducation and underemployment of professionals. Some regulation would seem necessary to reduce large differences in university quality and widespread information asymmetries. Options range from providing information on employability (by institution and career) to mandating quality assurance and licensing. Career quotas, moratoriums on expansion, and other extreme forms of quantitative control are inadvisable given rapid changes in market demand and weak enforcement capacity in most developing countries.

Blended Learning in Higher Education: Implication and Strategies for Academic Library Support

“…Furthermore, the graduates produced from developing countries also lack the needed innovation to harness and compete in a rapidly changing scientific and technological world. (Yamada, 2015).…”

“…[8] Sees importance at other aspects, but technology as the basic ingredient for blended and traditional learning, this is a critical factor for implementing and it will not be neglected. History of blended learning, has to do with different technologies such as computers, television, software's, and other curriculums have been tested with a changing degrees of achievement [9,10,11,12] explains that to start blended course it is important to orientate and inform students on how to use online modules, and this should include digital lessons in the technology environment to cause easy to new learning.…”

A propósito de la Responsabilidad Social Universitaria

“…Si bien las cifras hay que someterlas a diferentes consideraciones, podría parecer que casi la mitad de personas con estudios superiores se encontraban sin empleo. En este aspecto, un estudio de Yamada (2015) capta la atención en que si bien los países para su desarrollo requieren de titulados superiores, el análisis de diferentes contextos demuestra que el aumento de profesionales sin una planificación conlleva sobrecualificación y desempleo. Considera Yamada que con los datos y comparaciones que se disponen, esta situación pudiera ser regulada gubernamentalmente con los pros y contras que ello pueda implicar en el constante dilema entre aumentar cobertura y calidad, aunque también confronta a las universidades a saber si son conscientes del resultado de su labor.…”

Higher Education for Development

“…A way to address skilled youth unemployment is to foster cooperation between higher education systems and employers (Yamada 2015). A successful example is Costa Rica, which invested in training skilled workers in the electronics industry that attracted foreign investment from Intel (Rodríguez-Clare 2001).…”