The detection of criticalities of graduates’ jobsthrough Importance-Performance Analysis

In this paper we highlight the critical dimensions of jobs entered by Padua University graduates within six months from graduation. Jobs’ critical aspects stem from responses given by graduates in a sample survey carried out by the same Athenaeum for monitoring their employment and professional destinies. Jobs were examined from various viewpoints, income, contract, work relationships, worksite, social consideration and personal perspectives. For each job’s aspect and for the job as such we measured satis-faction and estimated the importance for Padua graduates. The technique adopted for data analysis is IPA – Importance-Performance Analysis (Martilla & James, 1977). It can detect criticalities by graphically comparing satisfaction with importance assigned to single job aspects. The importance of a job aspect was evaluated by applying a multivariate regression model (Boccuzzo et al., 2010). Moreover, a stratified analysis was carried out by repeating the importance estimation procedure for various sub-populations. Strata are defined with reference to type of degree (bachelor versus master), disciplinary study programmes of graduates, whether their work activity started before or after graduation. The analysis highlighted that the most important factors of job satisfaction are the agreement between job activities and cultural interests and graduates’ skill attainment. The lack of coherence between job and university studies and the perceived earning perspectives are critical aspects. Career perspectives, work stability, free time and specificity of the owned degree get low satisfaction rates but are unimportant, too. Stratified analyses showed that graduates are heterogeneous: for example, earning perspectives are a critical point especially for master graduates, but not for the bachelor ones, probably because the people who achieve the former degree have greater expecta-tions. The results of IPA analysis, especially if it is applied to subgroups of graduates, may help for educational and welfare policy suggestion.