Mass Higher Education and the Changing Labour Market for Graduates

As higher education continues to expand and an increasing number of graduates enter the workforce, this insightful book considers the crucial social and economic questions raised by this societal shift. Fátima Suleman, Pedro Videira and Pedro Teixeira bring together an array of experts to illustrate the connections between higher education and the labour market across continents.

Covering both developed and developing countries, chapter authors identify common employment patterns and anomalies of the employment conditions of graduates in different economies. Analysis explores the higher levels of overqualification in countries with low levels of high-tech manufacturing and service sectors and examines the overall benefits of higher education from a labour market perspective. This crucial book argues that the relationship between higher education and the skilled labour market is increasingly complex, and that higher education faces significant challenges to promote the employability of graduates whilst the labour market system attempts to absorb this skilled workforce.

This is an invaluable resource for students, academics and graduates specialising in higher education, education policy, employment relations and labour policy. Its statistical analysis of the changing international labour market is also key for labour market stakeholders and policymakers.