A Comparison of Self-Perceived Employability of Graduates from Public and Private Universities of Punjab

The study aimed to compare the level of self-perceived employability of public and private sector university graduates. It was a descriptive and cross sectional survey. Population of the study was university graduating students enrolled in final year/ semester. Multi-stage purposive sampling was used to collect data from ten universities; five public and five private universities were taken with eight matching departments. All students from selected department filled up the questionnaire. Each university (main campus) was taken as a sample. A total of 2411 graduating students were sample of the study. Self-developed 23 items Self-Perceived Employability (SPE) instrument was used to collect data with five point likert type scale. Independent sample t-test was applied for comparison of public and private sector graduates. Results showed positive self-perceived employability in graduating students. Private university students’ self-perceived employability was higher than that of the public university students. But, students’ perception of employability on the basis of department was significantly different. Self-perceived employability for male and female was the same. Two-year program graduates had higher self-perceived employability than those of the four-year degree program.