The effect of soft skills, ethics, and value on the willingness of employers to continue recruiting UMT graduates

Abdul Hafaz Ngah,Nur Asma Ariffin,Nurul Izni Kamalrulzaman,Fauzayani Ibrahim,Noor Azuan Abu Osman

doi:10.5267/j.msl.2020.12.002

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the effect of soft skills and ethics and value on the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) graduates, together with the moderating effect of knowledge on the relationship between soft skills and the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. The study’s respondents comprised of 208 employers in Malaysia who responded through an online survey using Google Forms. The survey data was then analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), indicating that soft skills positively affected the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. Nevertheless, ethics and value were found to be insignificant factors on the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. It was also revealed that knowledge had the moderating effect on the relationship between soft skills and the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. Therefore, universities were recommended to invest in soft skills and knowledge education to ensure that graduates met the employers’ professional recruitment standards in areas of expertise.

Highlights

The transformation of knowledge, soft skills, and attitudes required in job recruitments and performances based on the modern economy (OECD, 2011) has extended the focus and emphasis on establishing specialised skills for Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) graduates in successful employment
This study aims to investigate the effect of soft skills and ethics and value on the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) graduates, together with the moderating effect of knowledge on the relationship between soft skills and the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates
In order to enhance predictive power, this study introduced knowledge as a moderating factor between soft skills and the willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates among current employers

Summary

Introduction

The transformation of knowledge, soft skills, and attitudes required in job recruitments and performances based on the modern economy (OECD, 2011) has extended the focus and emphasis on establishing specialised skills for UMT graduates in successful employment. The jobs offered by public and private sectors proved insufficient in fulfilling employment demands, inevitably increasing the unemployment rate of graduates from Malaysian higher educational institutions recently (Krish et al, 2012). Based on the Malaysian Department of Statistics, the number of unemployed graduates rose by 4.7%, from 154,900 in 2017 to 162,000 in 2018 (Department of Statistics, 2019), and should be duly acknowledged by higher educational institutions in developing talented graduates with the relevant skills and knowledge for the employment market (Mohamad Shukri et al, 2014). This research intended to analyse the extent to which factors, such as soft skills, knowledge, and ethics and value, determined the employers’ willingness to continue recruiting UMT graduates. The eight soft skills elements to be analysed include communication skill, leadership skill, technical skill, interpersonal skill, thinking skill, enterprise and entrepreneurial skill, teamwork skill, and information and technology skill

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion