Case study of employment trends across 25 years of graduates of a Japanese Science and Technology University

Abstract

Graduates in the areas of Science and Technology are believed to have traditionally been employed in a number of specific industries, but the recent restructuring of some industries may have affected this phenomenon. In order to examine the trends concerning employment issues in more detail, a case study was conducted by surveying employment statistics for every five years between 1985 and 2010, of graduates from various departments of Science and Technology at a Japanese National University. In this period, the Japanese economy experienced a variety of changes which resulted in some leading Japanese universities with engineering programmes changing their emphasis from undergraduate studies to postgraduate studies. These influences were observed using employment statistics. According to the statistics representing degree levels and the ratios of job openings to applicants, the percentages of graduates employed by industry were compared using data measured at five year intervals. A shift in the employment of graduates can be observed. Employment of graduates of Master's degree courses increased twofold during the 1990s, and employment of Ph.D. course graduates increased significantly in the near term, while employment of Bachelor's degree holders decreased. The relationship between graduates of 13 departments and 21 types of industry was analysed using multiple correspondence analysis. Common two-dimensional scales such as basic-advanced science and technology, and broad-specific demand science and technology were extracted. Both factors of year and degree levels were also configured using the same figures. These configurations were compared between the years examined, and the changes in the structural relationships between degree levels, departments and industries were analysed. These results suggest that some industrial sectors have recently begun to require Master's or Doctoral level graduates from specific departments, though they had not strongly done so before. This also illustrates the relationship between university departments and industry with regard to human resource supply and demand.