A comparative study of the experiences of recent humanities and engineering graduates living in Gauteng when entering the labour market for the first time

Abstract

It has been 30 years since South Africa’s democratic transition from apartheid; however, the economic transition has been slow, especially within the labour market. With many young people graduating, job opportunities have not matched the growing labour supply and, as a result, many graduates end up unemployed. Some scholars argue that the South African labour market is full of graduates with general degrees, such as humanities and arts, rather than those that are demanded in the economy. Furthermore, scholars argue that humanities graduates face more challenges when transitioning from higher education to the work environment than graduates from fields such as engineering and accounting. Therefore, this study aimed to understand how the experiences of humanities and engineering graduates living in Gauteng compare and/or contrast when entering the labour market for the first time. The researcher conducted a literature review and an empirical study to achieve this. A literature review was conducted to gain a conceptual and theoretical understanding of the functioning of the general labour market and the South African labour market. The literature review showed that the labour market is dynamic and complex and comprises several factors that need to be considered, such as the determinants of the supply of and demand for labour, factors contributing to underemployment, unemployment and labour market discrimination, and the implications of labour market flexibility, among others. For the empirical part of the study, a qualitative research approach was employed. The research setting was in Gauteng. The target population was comprised of humanities and engineering graduates who, at the time, had been active in the labour market for two to five years after they graduated. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The thematic analysis revealed six main themes with sub-themes. The main themes were as follows: participants’ background; transitioning from school to work, navigating through the labour market, graduates’ perspectives of the state of the labour market, graduates’ perceived labour market challenges, and suggestions for improved labour market outcomes. Although this was a comparative study, the qualitative findings indicated that both humanities and engineering graduates share distinct and common experiences when entering the South African labour market for the first time. The findings showed that, concerning participants’ backgrounds, both humanities and engineering graduates were raised to consider the importance of education, hence they pursued their tertiary qualifications. Regarding transitioning from universities to work, engineering graduates found employment quickly upon entering the labour market, whereas humanities graduates struggled to find employment. Navigating through the labour market was challenging for both humanities and engineering graduates. Both humanities and engineering graduates shared similar perspectives regarding the state of the South African labour market, their experiences within it, and the challenges experienced. Lastly, both humanities and engineering graduates provided similar suggestions regarding how graduates’ labour market outcomes could be improved. The study concluded with practical recommendations that can be implemented by various stakeholders, including organisations, employers, tertiary institutions, academia, and current and future students, and highlighted areas for future research.