Exploring the causes, effects, and interventions of underemployment among recent college graduates: an evaluation study

Despite falling unemployment rates, underemployment continues to rise across the United States. With nearly half of all recent college graduates struggling to acquire gainful employment, institutions of higher education are faced with a type of existential crisis, confronting the very purpose of college degree attainment. Using a GAP analysis framework, this study examines the knowledge, motivational, and organizational barriers that directly influence employment outcomes for undergraduate students, and explore recommendations to improve career readiness training before graduation. Using a mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design, electronic surveys and focus group sessions were administered to current seniors and alumni to explore how experiential learning and the university environment affect underemployment within three years of graduation. Scales on Perceived Overqualification (SPOQ), General Self-Efficacy (GSE), and University Environment (UES) were used to evaluate factors related to participant underemployment. Results revealed a statistically significant relationship between undergraduate internships and service-learning opportunities with lower underemployment rates. Students who also had more favorable university experiences were less likely to rate themselves as underemployed. Implications for organizational practice include the implementation of a cohort-based, compressive career readiness training program that spans a student's undergraduate experience.