Figure 1: Conceptual Model of Labour Market Demand and University Graduate Employability Skills.
This model revealed a holistic framework of the study which emphasizes on the influence of labour market demand on employability skills of university graduates in North-West, Nigeria. The labour market demand are those factors which employers of labour requires from university graduates which academic qualifications, area of specializations, work experience and age. Also, employability skills are soft skills which are not specific to a particular discipline but to all complex endeavors. These are communication, basic computer, analytical, entrepreneurial skill, information technology and interpersonal skills. The study seeks to examine whether university graduates meet the demands of employers of labour also determine whether university graduates possess relevant employability skills in line with the demands of employers of labour.
Based on these demands and the employability skills, employers of labour determine whether university graduates are employable or not. Inference could be made on labour market demand and university graduate employability skills not only in the North-West but also across all the other five geo-political zones in Nigeria.
Appraisal of Literature Reviewed
This section focused on the appraisal of literature reviewed in the study. The chapter reviewed relevant and related works and researches carried out by some eminent scholars and researchers on labour market demand and university graduate employability. The review was carried out under sub-headings which are theoretical framework, concept of labour demand, sources of labour demand, concept of employability, employability skills as well as relevant empirical studies. The relevant theory adopted in the study is human capital development theory. The theory is very important and relevant to the current situation of developing nations like Nigeria where demand for labour is low due to government policies and regulation, labour wage, level of the technological development among others. The theory pointed out that university graduates need to possess employability skills that will enable them to function effectively and efficiently in the world of work.
The literature reviewed suggested that labour market demand is an important factor in determining entry into employment, its sustainability and progression. The level of demand in the macro economy has clear implications for the ability of individuals to find employment. Also, it has been suggested that where a person lives has an impact on employability and this can be related to education and development as well as access to social networks. The level of business confidence and degree of certainty or uncertainty about the future influence whether employers seek to recruit in the external labour market. The lower the confidence and the greater the degree of uncertainty they feel and the less they are likely to advertise vacancies. Labour market demand at local, national and international levels may have impact on the level and nature of employability skills that young people require to gain employment.
Although, the scholars whose works were reviewed, defined employability differently but there is a general consensus among them that the concept ‘employability’ is a wide range of attributes and competencies that enable a job seeker to gain and maintain employment such as but not restricted to, communication skills, logical, analytical, problem solving skills, personality, confidence, integrity, flexibility, adaptability, innovation, creativity and team spirit. This implies that employability is about gaining, sustaining and progressing in employment which encompasses more aspects of individual characteristics and qualities. A range of employability skills have been identified as qualifications, skills (of various types), values, characteristics and job-related competences. Although, employability inventory would contribute to improvements in shared understanding and measurement of the concept but individual circumstances can constrain and facilitate employability.
Of great importance also is that employability is not an assurance of actual employment but a means of increasing the chances of becoming employed. This is against the belief that credential, knowledge and social skills alone will guarantee a good position in the labour market. With the restructuring of the nation to a knowledge-based economy, there has been a paradigm shift with more emphasis or demand for highly effective utilisation of employability skills. However, the review of empirical studies in this chapter shown that most of the researchers whose works were reviewed used descriptive research design in their studies. They also made use of questionnaires as their research instruments as well employed descriptive statistics such as percentage, mean, standard deviation among others. This has, therefore, serves as a guide to this present study in selecting appropriate research design, instrument and statistical methods for analysis of data.
