Covid graduates, this is obviously not part of the English language lexicon but for the lack of a better word has been used to describe all those who graduated during the covid era. As per a study done in a specific university in the United States, the covid impact led to 13% of students delaying graduation, 40% losing a job/internship/job offer and most important 29% of the graduates expected to earn less at the age of 35. [1]
University closures affected peer and faculty interactions, access to learning spaces, lab facilities, libraries, funding support, extra-curricular activities and definitely inhibited almost all kinds of learning and networking opportunities. This would have an impact on their learning outcomes and their job readiness quotients as well. On top of all this the shrinking job market would have further added to their anxiety and emotional stress levels.
Students studying in India too reported a stressed job market as employment avenues dwindled. Some experts even talked of it taking years for the employment market to reach pre-covid levels. [2]. Another study found that students graduating in 2021 would be less employable than those students graduating in 2020. [3]
However a complete full-fledged study on students actual experience of the employment constraints faced post their graduation either in the academic year 2019-20 or the academic year 2020-21 has not been conducted. Therefore Citizen Ecofinalytics decided to reach across to students to actually gain an understanding of how they stand in terms of their employment experience as compared to a similar batch that passed in 2018-19.
The survey precisely takes 8 minutes to do and consists of mostly closed-ended questions. The questions that form part of the construct of employment constraints were designed post a formative study conducted by current students. Most important, results from the study will clearly reveal the extent of difficulties faced by graduates. The survey only address employment constraints and is targeted at only those who graduated during 2019-20 and 2020-21 and who intended to pursue employment post their course completion.
Link of the questionnaire:
https://forms.gle/t1y5cGgd3k8vKhHB8
- Aucejo, E. M., French, J., Ugalde Araya, M. P., & Zafar, B. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations: Evidence from a survey. Journal of public economics, 191, 104271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104271
2. India: COVID dashes career hopes for young graduates, https://www.dw.com/en/india-covid-dashes-career-hopes-for-young-graduates/a-58263612
3. India’s graduating students will find less jobs in 2021, says survey, https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-s-graduating-students-will-find-less-jobs-in-2021-says-survey-121021900062_1.html
Citizen Ecofinalytics 