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The Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Master Graduates’ Employability

Author

Listed:
  • Agnieszka Sękala

    (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Krzysztof Foit

    (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Damian Krenczyk

    (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Tomasz Blaszczyk

    (Department of Engineering Technology and Didactics, Technical University of Denmark, Lautrupvang 15, DK-2750 Ballerup, Denmark)

  • Gabriel Kost

    (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

  • Mariola Jureczko

    (Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology, Konarskiego 18A, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought the global economy to a near standstill. The scale of the coronavirus and the associated losses have left many countries facing a humanitarian, social and economic crisis. The main objective of the research presented in this article was to determine to what extent the support provided within the activities of the Motokadra project (2018–2020) within the framework of the Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development, funded by the European Social Fund, enabled its participants to adapt to the labour market conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The project participants were full-time Master’s students within the faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Silesian University of Technology. They formed the experimental group. The authors examined changes in the employability of the experimental group in the pre-pandemic and post-pandemic periods. The students in the experimental group represented several fields of study, which also allowed the authors to analyse which discipline appeared to be more resilient to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and whether the profile of the discipline affected employability. The employability of graduates in the automotive industry was particularly examined. The results of the analyses allow us to conclude that the labour market crisis linked to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the experimental group’s employability level. Furthermore, it has been shown that the study of the automation and robotics discipline increases the chances of finding a job after graduation.

Suggested Citation

  • Agnieszka Sękala & Krzysztof Foit & Damian Krenczyk & Tomasz Blaszczyk & Gabriel Kost & Mariola Jureczko, 2023. "The Impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic on Master Graduates’ Employability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4231-:d:1081365
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Henri Bussink & Tobias Vervliet & Bas Weel, 2022. "The Short-Term Effect of the COVID-19 Crisis on Employment Probabilities of Labour-Market Entrants in the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 170(2), pages 279-303, May.
    2. Bussink, Henri & Vervliet, Tobias & ter Weel, Bas, 2022. "The Short-Term Effect of the COVID-19 Crisis on Employment Probabilities of Labour-Market Entrants in the Netherlands," IZA Discussion Papers 15242, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Tomasz Wieczorek & Agata Kołodziejczyk & Marta Ciułkowicz & Julian Maciaszek & Błażej Misiak & Joanna Rymaszewska & Dorota Szcześniak, 2021. "Class of 2020 in Poland: Students’ Mental Health during the COVID-19 Outbreak in an Academic Setting," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-14, March.
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