Entry-level Jobs Research Articles

Over-education rates and predictors of entry-level jobs in Türkiye

This research aims to determine the proportion of overeducated individuals with higher education levels compared to their colleagues who are graduates of associate, undergraduate, and postgraduate education but work at the same status in entry-level jobs. Overeducation rates in entry-level jobs in Türkiye were determined using the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK) Household Labor Force Surveys (2014-2019) microdata set. The job analyst measure was used to determine the rate of overeducation. Logistic regression data analysis was conducted to classify the variables that predict the state of being overeducated with the TUIK 2019 Household Labor Force Survey. According to the findings, overeducation rates increased gradually over the years by 8.02% in 2014, 8.98% in 2015, 9.78% in 2016, 10.43% in 2017, 11.00% in 2018, and 12.5% in 2019. For the state of being overeducated, various demographic variables were analyzed and predicted, such as income, age, region, gender, ISCED, marital status, firm size, place of work, additional job searches, ISCO 08 classification, and employment status.

The U.S. Low-Wage Structure: A McWage Comparison

Abstract Thanks to standardized work protocol and technology of McDonald's restaurants, the hourly wage of McDonald's Basic Crew enables wage comparisons under near-identical skill inputs and hedonic job conditions. McWages capture labor costs in entry-level jobs, while the Big Macs (earned) Per Hour (BMPH) index measures corresponding purchasing power of wages. We document large and growing geographical wage differences in standardized jobs using data covering most U.S. counties during 2016-2023. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, there was no BMPH growth where minimum wages stayed constant, but the pandemic wage increase, which diminished the importance of minimum wages, was stronger in these areas.

The Role of Internships in Guyana's Development

Guyana’s development is dependent upon, among other things, a well-educated workforce with the necessary skills to exploit its natural resources and to make the nation an effective global competitor. In this regard, the University of Guyana (UG) has a critical role to play by providing its graduates with the education needed to meet the demands of their potential employers. Unfortunately, many organisations have publicly lamented the deficiency of practical skills of UG’s graduates. One available strategic option is for UG to consider a wider use of internships. Internships are valuable because student-interns: (i) learn to apply the theoretical knowledge to real life industrial applications, (ii) are better prepared for entry-level jobs in their field; and (iii) learn by experiencing the actual day-to-day operations of a corporation by attending meetings and participating in actual projects. The objective of this paper is to show how UG can use internships to improve the human capital stock of its graduates. We examine some best practices of internship programmes and demonstrate how internships can be beneficial to students, universities, and companies.

Swedish school counsellors − demographics, professional practices, educational background and working life history

ABSTRACT This article presents findings from a survey conducted on all school counsellors in Sweden. The focus of the article is on Swedish school counsellors’ demographics, professional practice, educational background, working life history and professional autonomy. The survey was web-based and contained 91 questions of both quantitative and qualitative nature. The results show that Swedish school counsellors are predominantly experienced female social workers with academic education in social work and several years’ experience of social work in areas other than school. Employment as a school counsellor is not an entry-level job. The professional practice of Swedish school counsellors predominately focus on remedial work with individual students. Their professional practice focus to a lesser extent on preventive and health promoting work despite the prominent position that preventive and health promoting work are given in the Swedish school act and in the national guidelines. The professional focus of Swedish school counsellors raises questions whether the emphasis on individual remedial work is to be interpreted as a lack of organizational awareness and resources, or if it is an expression of a professional ‘heritage’ from school counsellors prior experience of professional social work within other welfare areas were remedial work are custom. We argue that the focus on remedial work makes it valid to describe the character of Swedish school counsellors’ professional practice as a reflection of Swedish social services in general.

Geoscience Job Advertisements as a Barrier to Employment for People With Disabilities

Individuals with physical disabilities are largely underrepresented in the geoscience workforce. In this study, we analyzed over 2,500 job advertisements (ads) for entry-level geoscience positions across 19 industries to assess how inclusive the United States job market is for people with physical disabilities. We evaluated each ad’s Equal Opportunity Employer (EEO) and accommodation statements to create a measure of geoscience employers’ inclusive practices for people with disabilities. We coded each ad for instances where physical abilities (e.g., traversing rough terrain, driving a vehicle, lifting heavy objects) were listed as required or preferred qualifications and whether these abilities matched the core job function. A significant proportion of job ads (44%) did not include EEO statements, and of those that did, the language used was minimal or abbreviated. Additionally, only 18% of ads mentioned accommodations for people with disabilities. Of the ads that required physical abilities, only 19% requested physical abilities that matched the core job function. Students exploring their career options or applying for entry-level jobs may feel disadvantaged, restrict their applications, or dismiss geoscience careers if they have physical limitations, or if they perceive that the work environment is not inclusive. Overall, online geoscience ads could benefit from adding or modifying equal opportunity employment and accommodations statements to reflect a more inclusive workplace and could explicitly link requested physical abilities to the job description. These results could help employers consider possible modifications to their job advertisements and explore alternative strategies to promote a more inclusive geoscience workforce.

CAS2E STUDY – FROM STUDENT ENGAGED EDUCATIONAL DESIGN TO LEARNER LED EDUCATIONAL DESIGN

Engineering education has many gaps between expectations and reality. Students’ mental health and wellbeing is insufficiently considered when designing courses and programs. Current course design is not inclusive of different learning styles. Companies commonly require 3-5 years of experience for entry level jobs because their new hires are not learning enough with their post-secondary education. Graduate schools are noting similar concerns with their incoming students. We argue that today’s engineering students need: a better educational experience; more accommodating and inclusive course and program design; and a smaller gap between their education and the outcomes they need for success beyond their studies. We propose addressing this with four methods: involving student voices in decisions on design; gamification of educational spaces and the student’s educational experience; introducing more inclusive design into programs and courses; and using work-integrated and project-based learning in more fields of study in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).

Willingness to work among males on parole: A quantitative and qualitative analysis.

This study investigated employment attitudes of adult males who were recently released from prison and onto parole. The study investigated the role of willingness to work entry-level jobs, an understudied variable in career development of justice-involved persons. We hypothesized that criminal thinking and perception of barriers would each have a direct effect on job search self-efficacy and a direct and indirect effect on willingness to work entry-level jobs, through job search self-efficacy. We also predicted that criminal thinking and perception of barriers would each have an indirect effect on career aspirations within a job, through job search self-efficacy and willingness to work entry-level jobs. Results confirmed these hypotheses. Results of two serial mediation analyses indicated that perceiving more barriers to work predicted less job search self-efficacy, less job search self-efficacy predicted less willingness to work entry-level jobs, and less willingness to work entry-level jobs predicted lower career aspirations. Similarly, higher reactive criminal thinking predicted less job search self-efficacy, less job search self-efficacy predicted less willingness to work entry-level jobs, and less willingness to work entry-level jobs predicted lower career aspirations. Results of qualitative analysis indicated that the vast majority of parolees planned to work in entry-level jobs within the first few months of release from prison. The study sheds light on the work attitudes of males who leave prison and what factors may influence their willingness to work entry-level jobs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Favoured subjects. The myth of the Middle Class and the imaginary of Cluj IT

Abstract Romanian IT professionals are marketized as young, highly skilled, and full of potential individuals. However, there is a contradiction in their image. In the discourse of international outsourcing, they are presented as cheap labour, while on the national and local level they are considered high earners. Under the privilege of income tax exemption, the IT sector is continuously growing and attracting labour, providing well-paying entry-level jobs and bringing in foreign capital. At the same time, on a symbolic level, it also developed a reputation as a facilitator of social ascension and of importer of European ideas. In this paper I aim to examine what drives people towards professional reorientation to IT. How is the idea of the middle class being used? What is the imaginary that makes people take on the risky and arduous road of re-professionalization and what are its consequences?

Entry-level career paths in the life sciences: generic skills in Dutch job postings

ABSTRACT The importance of generic skills for life scientists is commonly recognised by employers, graduates, and higher education institutes. As it remains unclear which generic skills are relevant for different life sciences career paths, this study aims to give an overview to inform and inspire universities and students, by analysing 179 Dutch entry-level job postings. We deductively coded nine career paths, namely: life sciences industry, PhD-student, quality compliance, research-related, sales & business, communication/education, information technology, consultancy, and policy. We coded generic skills using an adapted categorisation consisting of 46 generic skills within four categories, which were: self, others, information, and tasks. The descriptive statistics and cluster analysis results showed that although language, communication, and collaboration were the most requested skills, differences in requested generic skills between career paths and cluster composition were observed as well. We concluded that although some generic skills are important in general, other generic skills are relevant for specific life sciences career paths. To educate skilled life scientists, universities should consider the flexible integration of these generic skills in their life sciences programmes.

Motives for using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) as a cessation tool are associated with tobacco abstinence at 1-year follow-up: A prospective investigation among young adults in the United States Air Force

IntroductionSmokers use electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes, as a harm reduction strategy even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved them for tobacco cessation. The limited literature about ENDS use for cigarette cessation is concerning for the U.S. military, which is largely comprised of young adults at increased risk for tobacco use. Thus, the current study aims to evaluate use of ENDS products as a cessation tool in relation to point-prevalence tobacco abstinence at one-year follow-up in a cohort of 8,901 U.S. Air Force personnel attending entry-level job training from March 2016 to April 2019. MethodsA propensity-score adjusted multinomial logistic regression model was used to assess the association between the baseline motives for ENDS use (i.e., for cigarette cessation versus alternative reasons) and tobacco use at the one-year follow-up (cigarette use, non-cigarette tobacco product use, and tobacco abstinence) among those reporting history of cigarette use at baseline. ResultsSmokers reporting ENDS use for cigarette cessation were more likely to be abstinent at one-year follow-up (Odds Ratio[OR] = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.06–2.49, P =.03) as well as quit using non-cigarette tobacco products (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.65–2.70, P <.001) than those reporting ENDS use for alternative reasons. ConclusionsCurrent tobacco users are recommended to use FDA-approved products for smoking cessation, such as nicotine replacement therapy. However, given the high prevalence of cigarette use among military populations, ENDS may provide a useful alternative harm reduction strategy for this high-risk population.

The correlation between occupation type and fibromyalgia severity.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder associated with financial burden, decreased work productivity and absenteeism. Occupational stressors and specific employment factors may contribute to the severity of FM. To determine if occupation type or employment status correlates with FM diagnostic and severity parameters, as assessed via validated instruments including tender points (TP), Widespread Pain Index (WPI), Symptom Severity (SS) and pain regions. We performed a cross-sectional study of 200 adult patients diagnosed with FM at a single-centre FM clinic. Demographic and clinical data were extracted from the electronic medical records. Occupations were manually grouped in an iterative modified-Delphi approach and participants were grouped by employment status (Working, Not Working/Disabled or Retired) for analysis. In our cohort, 61% were employed and 24% were not working/disabled, while the remainder were students, homemakers or retired. SS score was significantly higher (P < 0.001) in not working/disabled patients compared to those employed. Business owners had the lowest TP count (median = 14) and the lowest median SS score (median = 7). WPI was highest for Others (Arts/Entertainment, Driver/Delivery and Housekeeper/Custodian workers; median=16) and the lowest for Retail/Sales/Wait Staff (median = 11). Work-related factors, occupation type and employment status correlate with diagnostic and severity parameters of FM. Employed participants had significantly lower SS scores suggesting that work loss correlates with SS. Participants employed in entry-level jobs or jobs with higher physical or financial stressors may experience greater FM symptoms. Further studies are required to explore work-related factors and their impact on the diagnostic and severity parameters of FM.

38 Burn Prevention and Education for Newcomers to North America

Abstract Introduction The experience of a city’s fire department suggested regions typically home to immigrant and multigenerational families show increased occurrence of fire calls. This study explored the incidence of fire calls in our city stratified by geographic ward and identified opportunities for fire and thermal injury prevention in immigrants. Methods This study was approved by our university’s research ethics board. Fire call data from 2016-2021 was used to characterize adjusted fire totals, civilian injuries, incident descriptions, sources of fire ignition, type of material, area of origin, and contribution to ignition of these fires by ward. ANOVAs were performed to reveal differences in fire characteristics between wards. High fire occurrence wards were classed as at greater risk and probable targets for prevention. To follow, an open ended interview was conducted with a newcomer organization in the city to elucidate factors that contribute to thermal injury risk in immigrants. Interview content was informed by a literature search around the factors and impact of burn injury in immigrants to North America, Europe, and Australia. Interview responses were thematically analyzed. Results The city is stratified into 14 wards, within which there are several communities described by income, education, immigration diversity and more. Between wards, total adjusted fire incidents were not significantly different (p = 0.119). Though, fire characteristics did differ regionally. Common fire incident descriptions included vehicle/structure, trash and cooking fires with less variability by ward in the number of cooking fires compared to the two former. Contributions to ignition were frequently human related. The supplementary interview highlighted individual burn risk as multifactorial. Cultural norms (notably cooking practices and equipment such as pressure cookers), inexperience (related to weather and frostbite risk), and participation in entry level jobs (including cooking) may impart increased burn risk to immigrants. Senior immigrants were noted to be specifically at risk for burns given their propensity to retain cultural cooking norms. Conclusions Newcomers may face increased fire and thermal injury risk that can be attributed to occupational hazards not specific to immigrants and adjustment to a new way of life. Given that many fires and injuries are connected to cooking, kitchen safety and environmental education becomes important to enable safer engagement in cultural practices. Follow up to this work includes matching high fire incidence wards to their resident immigrant groups for targeted prevention. Applicability of Research to Practice Inclusion of race and ethnicity in burn registries may assist in recognizing at risk groups for burn prevention and serve as a retrospective comparator to assess the impact of population specific burn prevention efforts.

Simulations or Client Projects? Aligning Social Media Skills Development to Industry Expectations

Social media is rapidly growing and evolving from the introduction of new platforms to platform-specific innovations. The dynamic nature of social media makes it difficult for even practitioners to keep up; therefore, the gap between academia and industry continues to grow. This gap presents significant challenges for marketing educators to keep course content current so students are ready for the workforce. To identify which types of social media pedagogical assessments best meet industry needs and make recommendations for bridging this gap, this article uses a three-study approach consisting of content analysis of job descriptions, practitioner interviews, and student perceptions of two commonly used pedagogical assessments: simulations and client-based projects. Results show the critical need for social media meta-skills and technical skills, with client-based projects significantly improving meta-skill acquisition by undergraduate students compared with simulations alone. Practical implications for helping educators improve market-ready graduates for entry-level jobs with a social media component are discussed.

Work opportunity for International Medical Graduates

Pursuing residency beyond a certain period would be hard for International medical graduates due to inevitable financial restraints. Hence, International Medical Graduates seek work opportunities. which could help them earn money and gain clinical experience at the same time. I have searched through various websites in different search engines for a work opportunity for myself as an International Medical Graduate (IMG). This article is a consolidation of contents from more than ten websites. The conclusion is that-there are health care job opportunities for ECFMG-certified (the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates -certified) international medical graduates and it would be easier for non-visa requiring candidates. An entry-level job opportunity may lead to another clinical job opportunity during which the candidate could build on strong clinical background in the United States of America and be financially sufficient. Persistence is the key to success.

Work opportunity for International Medical Graduates

Pursuing residency beyond a certain period would behard for International medical graduates due toinevitable financial restraints. Hence, InternationalMedical Graduates seek work opportunities. which couldhelp them earn money and gain clinical experience atthe same time. I have searched through variouswebsites in different search engines for a workopportunity for myself as an International MedicalGraduate (IMG). This article is a consolidation ofcontents from more than ten websites. The conclusionis that-there are health care job opportunities forECFMG-certified (the Educational Commission forForeign Medical Graduates -certified) internationalmedical graduates and it would be easier for non-visarequiring candidates. An entry-level job opportunitymay lead to another clinical job opportunity duringwhich the candidate could build on strong clinicalbackground in the United States of America and befinancially sufficient. Persistence is the key to success.

A Stalemate: The Road towards Gender Equality in the Indian Software Industry

Gender inequality manifests in the form of women getting concentrated in low-paying or low-status jobs. Such inequalities are stark in male-dominated and masculinized professions. Indian software industry constitutes 35% women employees in the industry; however, they are concentrated in entry level jobs. The study explores how the hiring process is creating or reproducing gender (in)equality in the industry. 49 semi-structured interviews were conducted with recruiters, hiring managers and candidates. Content analysis of the interviews indicated that employers are focusing only on recruitment activities to source more female candidates. Although supply of entry-level female successful applicants is high, availability of experienced female candidates is less. Despite such challenges, employers continue with unstructured interviewing, mostly single panel members who ask personal family related questions that may not be job relevant. The study also provides evidence that there is segregation in quality assurance and techno-functional roles that are not equally valued as other profiles.

Prize or Penalty? Reputational Effects of Diversity Scholarships in the Labor Market

Many universities and companies use diversity scholarships and pipeline programs to achieve recruiting goals and engage in diversity-related impression management. In contrast to more explicitly race-targeted affirmative action measures, these contemporary diversity initiatives tend to emphasize merit and conceptualize “contributions to diversity” in a broad, race-neutral manner. This paper investigates the reputational effects of diversity scholarships for recent college graduates seeking entry-level jobs. Using a national audit study, I compare the rate at which employers call back applicants with diversity scholarships, applicants with other types of merit scholarships, and applicants with no scholarships at all. I also examine how the scholarship signals differ when applicant names have a Black racial cue versus a White racial cue. I find that while diversity scholarships and non-diversity merit scholarships provide similar reputational benefits for putatively White applicants, Black diversity scholarship winners are called back by employers at a similar rate as Black applicants without scholarships. The reputational boost of the non-diversity scholarship is also smaller for Black applicants than it is for White applicants. The findings contribute to our understanding of how organizational diversity policies shape inequality and illustrate the importance of examining individual-level effects of diversity practices in addition to organizational-level outcomes.

Social Cognitive Career Theory Predictors of Goal Persistence in African American College Students With Disabilities

The Black Lives Matter movement exposed the broad and deep issues of institutional racism in the United States. Helping young African Americans with disabilities persevere in their pursuit of college degrees and obtain entry-level professional jobs as career pathways to the middle class will contribute to workplace equity for young adults who are at the intersection of race, disability, and poverty. The Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) has been validated extensively as a model of goal persistence for women and minority college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM). The present study evaluated SCCT constructs as predictors of goal persistence in a sample of African American college students with disabilities across various academic majors, using hierarchical regression analysis. The final model accounted for 53% of the variance in goal persistence scores, a large effect size. Academic milestone self-efficacy and career self-efficacy were the most important predictors of goal persistence, followed by academic barrier self-efficacy, deep learning style, and career outcome expectancy. The SCCT interventions designed to increase academic and career efficacy and outcome expectancy will increase the likelihood that African American college students with disabilities will complete their degrees and successfully obtain professional jobs.

Perspectives on employers’ expectations on tertiary education graduates’ employability skills in Eastern Cape, South Africa

Given that undergraduates, graduates and tertiary institutions of higher learning are uncertain Given that undergraduates, graduates, and tertiary institutions of higher learning are uncertain regarding the expectations of employers in the work organizations on the skill that graduates possess, the study presented in this paper attempts to provide some meaningful clues in that directions. The study followed a research question that interrogates what employability skills employers expect graduates to possess for an entry-level job. Designed as a descriptive study, a quantitative research approach was chosen, where the survey method of data collection was employed through a closed-ended structured questionnaire. The study targeted employers (managers) of public and private work organizations in the health and education sectors in a South African town Mthatha, from where a sample of 41 participants (representing organizations) was drawn. The study employed a stratified random sampling in selecting the participants, which ensured that the principle of selecting representatives of the target population was met. Data collected from the participants were analyzed by the use of selected descriptive tools. The analyzed data revealed that all employers expect graduates to possess all the 13 skill areas that employees require to function in the workplace. Surprisingly, the employers mostly expect least from the young graduates in terms of quantitative skills and leadership capabilities. While this finding corroborates what exists in the literature, it provides a new dimension with regard to priority skills needed by employers in the South African labor market. The study, therefore, recommends that the work organizations and higher institutions of learning should form a partnership and a close relationship so that they can assist one another in building the employability skills of graduates.

A Cross-lagged Study of Gender Discrimination in Entry-level Jobs in the Malaysian Retail Sector: A Vulnerability Theory Perspective

Several studies have examined gender discrimination in Malaysia and have found Malaysian retail sector is plagued with discriminatory practices. Research has shown that many discriminatory practices are based on established perceptions that make women vulnerable to discrimination. This study aimed to analyze the drivers of gender discrimination in entry-level jobs in the Malaysian retail sector. The study unpacks the drivers that make women vulnerable due to preconceived notions leading to gender discrimination and investigates causal, reversed causal, and reciprocal relationships. Keywords: Gender discrimination, perception, vulnerability, Malaysia, retail sector.