Review of Trends in Employing Library and Information Science Graduates in Slovenia for the Period from 2000 to 2012

Abstract

AbstractPurpose: The purpose of this paper is to show the trends in employing LIS graduates in Slovenia in the period from 2000 to 2012.Methodology/Approach: We collected, presented and analysed the publicly available data on the number and fluctuation of LIS graduates registered as job seekers at the national employment service. The paper also presents the fluctuation in the number of related job advertisements, and the number of employees in Slovenian libraries.Results: According to the Employment Service of Slovenia, the number of job seekers has been rising but it does not exceed the number of tendered study positions or the number of ads for job vacancies. Until 2012, only a third of job seekers were first time job seekers under 26 years of age. In recent years, the ratio of advertisements for the fixed-term employment has been increasing compared to those for the permanent employment. The majority of the ads offer employment in the central region of Slovenia, usually in the capital city which is the economic, political and university centre where the majority of all the libraries are concentrated. In addition, there is an increase in the number of ads during the summer months. The number of employees in Slovenian libraries has been rising year by year, in parallel to the increased proportion of library and information science graduates.Limitations of the research: We cannot make any conclusions about graduates of the Bologna study programmes, on one hand the first degree graduates are not very numerous on the job market and on the other hand many of them enrol the second degree Bologna study programme.Originality/practical implications of the research: For the first time in Slovenia, the research provides quantitative data on the number of the unemployed LIS graduates and on the number of job vacancy ads for LIS graduates.