A Survey Based Analysis: Labor-Market with Young Workforce or Adequate Governmental Policies? Key attributes of Person-Job Fit in Kosovo

Abstract

The synergy of Person-Job fit has long been an important construct within the labor market in developed, but more so in developing countries. Personality attributes comprise a psychology framework, which can predict and explain human behavior. Nevertheless Person-Job fit is moderated by contextual contingency. In this vein, the question of how personality attributes interact with job-related indicators such as job performance continue to acquire scholars’ attention. Consequently, this research aims to answer this question, by applying a survey-based analysis in Kosovo, to identify key personality attributes impacting Person-Job fit. Kosovo has a huge dividend of a young work-force, which has been found as an instrument mitigating the gap of Person-Job fit, considering the high rate of unemployment. The research approaches two methods in verifying the impact of personality attributes on job related competences, based on survey data, a) first it presents the empirical evidence analysis, and b) validates the statistical significance of personality characteristics to the job-related tasks, applying a General Linear Model-Multivariate Testing Simulation (GLM-MVA). Both methods confirm the significant correlations of attitudes and perceptions having an impact on the daily job performance, however with a mitigating role of the contextual indicators. The findings show that more than a half of the working force declare that they fit to their job, which in an analysis perspective has two reasons: 1) the unemployment rate, and 2) the young work-force rate. Both aspects shape the inner personal perceptions of having a job and the way they perform at the job. However, within sector analysis, there is a discrepancy between the private and public sector, making the latter more compatible for the working force. This is justified by the fact that in Kosovo the public sector makes people feel more secure about their job, therefore showing a higher rate of satisfaction. At the end, the research adds some key policy reflections, attributed to dimensions, such as: educational reform system, and the fragile governmental policies addressing employment in Kosovo, to help construct a stable framework of Person- Job fit.