Abstract:
This paper attempts to understand the graduate underemployment problem in the
western province of Sri Lanka. Underemployment has been identified as an emerging
issue in the world as well as in Sri Lanka as it reveals a significant mismatch
between supply and demand in the labour market. In literature, unemployment
has gained significant attention of policy makers, but underemployment has
remained a largely unexplored phenomenon.Therefore, it is essential to do more
research about underemployment to fill this gap in literature. This article is aimed
at assessing the variables of graduate underemployment and identifying coping
strategies of underemployed graduates. For the purpose of this study, perceived
underemployment was used as a measure of underemployment. The dimensions
used by Feldman (1994) to measure graduate underemployment are applied in
this study. The data was collected through a questionnaire from a sample of 100
graduates as a pilot study. The study assessed the impacts of a range of variables
such as gender, age, education level on graduate underemployment. Statistical tools
were used to study the significance of the relationships between these variables
and perceived underemployment of graduates. Results revealed diverse impacts
of variables such as gender differences, employment sector and the status of the
degree on the underemployment of graduates. Strategies such as self-initiated
job hunting, studying further and rethink about career goals were identified as
the coping strategies which are consistent with previous literature. Finally the
recommendations for underemployment and implications were discussed by
providing directions for future researchers.
