Bulletin Number Two 1985
of analysis. There was a decrease in the percentage of graduates entering the Education sector but there was a corresponding rise in the percentage of graduates entering business. Graduates who opted for a Civil Service career was on the decline. The percentage of graduates entering the Business sector has continued to grow since 1982: from 36.6% in 1982 to 39.9% in 1983 , and 45.6% in 1984. There was a significant increase of 13.1% among the Social Science graduates who entered the Business sector (44.1% in 1984 and 31% in 1983). Among those who were employed in the Business sector, 37.5% were working in local companies, 21.5% were employed by American firms, and about 17% joined PRC-funded firms. The rest were working for companies owned by British (8.2%), Japanese (6.6%) and other (9.6%) interests. The number of graduates entering the Education sector decreased from 46.5% in 1983 to 40.3% in 1984. There was a considerable drop in the numbers of Social Science and Science graduates joining the Education sector, by about 17% and 6% respectively. Among those opting for a career in education, a vast majority (85.6%) was teaching in secondary schools while roughly 9%were teaching in tertiary educational institutions. Most (92.4%) of those who were engaged in secondary school teaching worked in subsidized or caput schools. As the Government continued to maintain zero- growth in its workforce, the number of graduates joining the Civil Service further decreased from 10.5% in 1982 through 6.8% in 1983 to 5.4% this year. The following fields accounted for the first jobs of about 88% of the respondents: Teaching (39.8%), Banking and Finance (9.8 %), Marketing (7.9%), Administration/Management (7%), Social Services (7%), Computer/Data Processing (5.4%), Electronic Engineering (5.2 %), Accounting (4%) and the Disciplined Services (1.9%). Graduates who took up Marketing positions increased by roughly 3% (7.9% in 1984 and 4.8% in 1983). The increase among the Social Science graduates, by 6.1% was particularly noticeable. As there were more Social Work graduates (66 in 1984 as compared to 46 in 1983) this year, the number of graduates engaged in the Social Services increased. As in the previous years, Electronics and Computer Science graduates were mainly engaged in jobs directly related to their training. Roughly 83% and 95% of the graduates in Electronics and Computer Science were employed as electronic engineers and programmers/system analysts respectively. The median monthly salary for graduates entering the Government, the Education sector and the Commerce and Industry sector were $5,819, $5,720 and $3,956 respectively. Close to 50% of the graduates received an initial pay above $5,500 per month. Slightly more than one percent of them, most of whom serving in the Disciplined Services, received over $8,000 per month. On the average, the initial salary of 1984 graduates appreciated by 9.2% in Government, 10.2% in Education and 11.5% in Commerce and Industry. Half of the graduates were substantively satisfied with their current employment while roughly 34% reported average satisfaction. Generally speaking, graduates were interested in their work and enjoyed amicable working relationships with their colleagues. However, about a quarter (26.9%) of the graduates were not entirely happy with the management styles of their employers, and 26.6% felt that the training provided was inadequate. 23% expressed concern about their prospects for advancement. Nearly 76% of the graduates secured employment by the end of August. There were 37% of them who received two or more offers. About 15% were on their second or third job at the time of the Survey. The number of graduates pursuing further studies immediately after graduation rose considerably from 118 (13%) in 1983 to 155 (17.2%) this year. About 28% of them entered overseas universities. Among these graduates, 6.5% were on full scholarships while 16% of them were partially financed by teaching assistantships. Part-time Degree Graduates The first batch of part-time degree graduates in 1984 were all Social Work majors. They continued to work in the same organizations which they had been serving during their part-time studies. Some of them had signed contractual arrangements with their employers prior to entering university that required them to continue serving in the same organizations for a specified period of time after graduation. Two of the graduates were promoted from the rank of Social Work Assistant to that of Assistant Social Work Officer, while the others kept their original positions, which were all within the graduate grade. Althoguh there were no immediate incremental benefits for these graduates, all felt that the degree would be a useful asset in their career development. They also suggested that their university studies, which had direct relevance to their work, were a valuable help to the efficient discharging of their professional duties. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 21
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