Employability skills in the 21st-century among university business graduates: A gender-based analysis

Abstract

This study examined the employability skills possessed by university business graduates in Ghana and explored gender differences in these skills. The Individual Differences Theory anchored this study. The study used a quantitative research approach and utilized a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised all business graduates, including 921 from the School of Business and 265 from Business Education, resulting in a total population of 1,186 graduates. A sample of 330 business graduates was selected using multiple sampling techniques to ensure representativeness. Primary data were collected through a structured instrument titled the University Business Graduates’ Employability Skills Questionnaire (UBGES-Q). Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 27. The results indicated that university business graduates possess a wide range of employability skills required by the labor market, suggesting that they are well-prepared to meet workplace expectations and enhance their employability prospects in the 21st century. Moreover, gender is associated with differences in certain employability skills among university business graduates, with male students reporting higher levels of communication and problem-solving skills. However, both male and female graduates exhibited similar levels of corporate sense skills. The study concluded that university curriculum serves not only as an academic framework but also as a vehicle for equipping graduates with practical, entrepreneurial, and adaptive skills aligned with the demands of the 21st-century labor market. The study recommended that university management should maintain and periodically review business programs to ensure alignment with labor market demands and 21st-century employability skills.