Graduates carry high salary expectation incompatible with the domestic labor market

Pursuant to our news yesterday on the difficulty faced by the local labor market to accommodate the large number of graduates because of the nature of their specialties, (c.f.: http://bit.ly/2bStigQ), we turn today to the problem of high level of expectations in terms of salaries and other employment terms. The results of the survey carried out by Universum Global targeting 3560 students in the disciplines of engineering, information technology, banking and trade from seven universities across Lebanon, have indicated that graduates expect a monthly salary averaging nearly LBP 2,900,000 (LBP 2,628,173 for females against LBP 3,239,976 for male students). The survey also indicated a preference by students for opportunities to improve their professional skills and capacities against other employment terms (high salaries, travel abroad and leadership opportunities…), with the exception of engineering and IT graduates who expressed a preference for high pay over the development of professional skills. On their preferred professional field, more than one third of business/ commerce majors opted for management and strategic consultation, followed by banking, media and advertising industries. On their favorite firms, Google, topped the list, followed by Apple, L’Oreal, Nestle and Procter & Gamble for the first five positions. On the other hand, the survey pointed out that one third of engineering/IT students prefers to work in engineering and manufacturing rather than in construction and energy. The preferred companies in the said sectors, were Google, followed by Dar al Handasa, Apple, Microsoft and Samsung. (Al Akhbar, August 27, 2016)