A Comparison of Self-Perceived Employability of Graduates from Public and Private Universities of Punjab

Oct 15, 2026

The study compares self-perceived employability among university graduates from public and private universities in Punjab. Using a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from final-year/semester graduating students enrolled in ten universities (five public and five private) with eight matching departments. A multi-stage purposive sampling approach yielded 2,411 participants. A self-developed 23-item Self-Perceived Employability (SPE) instrument with a five-point Likert scale was used, and independent-sample t-tests assessed differences.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

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A Comparison of Self-Perceived Employability of Graduates from Public and Private Universities of Punjab Ummara Saher * and Abid Hussain Ch.** Abstract The study aimed to compare the level of self-perceived employability of public and private sector university graduates. It was a descriptive and cross sectional survey. Population of the study was university graduating students enrolled in final year/ semester. Multi-stage purposive sampling was used to collect data from ten universities; five public and five private universities were taken with eight matching departments. All students from selected department filled up the questionnaire. Each university (main campus) was taken as a sample. A total of 2411 graduating students were sample of the study. Self-developed 23 items Self-Perceived Employability (SPE) instrument was used to collect data with five point likert type scale. Independent sample t-test was applied for comparison of public and private sector graduates. Results showed positive self-perceived employability in graduating students. Private university students’ self-perceived employability was higher than that of the public university students. But, students’ perception of employability on the basis of department was significantly different. Self-perceived employability for male and female was the same. Two-year program graduates had higher self-perceived employability than those of the four-year degree program. Keywords: Self-perceived employability (SPE), Graduating students, Public and private universities *Assistant Professor (Ad-Hoc), University of the Punjab, Lahore, [Pakistan E-mail: ummarach@gmail.com](Pakistan E-mail: ummarach@gmail.com) ** Professor, Faculty of Education, Institute of Education and Research, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: [chabidhussainier@yahoo.com](chabidhussainier@yahoo.com) Introduction Perception of employability is changing. In the past, employees were more loyal to the organization, and employers were responsible for job security, career development, training and development, and help the employees in problematic times (Baruch, 2001; Zinser, 2003) . Modern concept of employability is based on a psychological contract that develops hope in employees to locate opportunities in challenging environment with more diversity of skills. Now, employees are responsible to secure successful careers on their own. Current situation of the job market create a more destabilized employment relationship from the past (Baruch & Peiperl, 2000; Baruch, 2001) . For the purposes of this study, during primitive screening it was found that literature covers the feedback obtained from employees, university institutions, government officials. However, little research has been conducted on university graduates, so that is the primary focal point of this research study. Students face an uncertain future, despite spending time and money on their education (Praskova, Creed,& Hood, 2015) . Today, in 21st century, graduates are more trained, more self-defined and confident (Fugate, Kinicki, & Ashforth, 2004); consequently, they have more challenging time in locating employment. Level of motivation of students affects their goals setting (Seijts, Ltham, Tasa, & Latham, 2004) . Little and Arthur (2010) found that skills are important for graduates’employability. Soft skills like communication, initiative, work in teams, and analytical skills are lacking in graduates, but these are very important for entry positions. (Washor, 2015) . Education is the key to help students develop these necessary skills (Crebert, Bates, Bell, Partirick, & Cragnolini, 2004; Lees, 2002) . According to National Education Policy (2017) higher education is responsible to produce leadership for all sectors in economy. Higher education is the best place to inculcate employability in a realistic and effective way (Tymon, 2013) . Higher education plays important role in developing the workforce acco

FAQs

What was the study’s main objective?

To compare the level of self-perceived employability of graduates from public and private sector universities.

How was data collected and who were the participants?

A descriptive cross-sectional survey collected questionnaire responses from final-year/semester students across ten universities (five public and five private) with matching departments, totaling 2,411 graduates.

Which instrument and statistical method were used?

Self-developed 23-item Self-Perceived Employability (SPE) was measured using a five-point Likert scale, and independent-sample t-tests were applied for comparisons.

Oct 15, 2026

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