Factors Predictive of University Students’ Job Values and Their Influences on Future-Oriented Employment Preferences: A Ghanaian Perspective

• Main Authors: Majoreen Osafroadu Amankwah, Mohammed-Aminu Sanda
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: ÜNİVERSİTEPARK Limited 2021-06-01
• Series: Üniversitepark Bülten
• Subjects: university education; graduating students; job values; employment preference; ghana.
• Online Access: http://unibulletin.com/files/2/articles/article_230/UB_230_article_61073ef39091d.pdf

Background/purpose – This study explored factors that are predictive of the job values of graduating Ghanaian tertiary students and the influences of such factors on their future-oriented employment preferences. Materials/methods – Guided by a survey design, quantitative data were collected from 994 third-year and final-year students from a public university in Ghana. While principal component analysis was employed in order to identify factors predictive of students’ job values, one-sample t-test was used to establish the significance levels of job value factors identified as premium. Independent sample t-test then determined the level of variation in the job value factors according to gender and job preference. Results – The findings showed that job security and good pay are considered the most important. While job designs with an attractive economic motivation package (e.g., job security plus good pay) were shown to matter more to male students, attractive psychological motivation (e.g., autonomy and independence) was seen as more important to the female students that participated in the study. Unlike male students, the female students tended to place a higher premium on jobs with convenient working hours. Conclusion – Collectively, Ghanaian students will likely opt for formal employment as against self-employment due to their association with the stable provision of extrinsic and psychological motivation packages in their future employment. This paper aims to provide useful insights and to help improve our understanding of future-oriented employment dynamics of graduating university students in the context of a developing country.