From higher education to the labor market: Expectations and realities during the COVID-19 period

Emergency remote teaching (ERT) practices implemented globally during the COVID-19 pandemic have profoundly affected traditional higher education systems, leading to new structural transformations in human capital development and employment processes. In this context, the primary objective of this study is to empirically examine how the labor market participation processes of higher education students and graduates who experienced remote education during the pandemic have been affected. The focus of the study is to analyze the experiences of students transitioning from higher education to the labor market during the pandemic; in this regard, it is expected to produce empirical findings for future economic and educational policies. The research was conducted with a total of 1,744 participants who studied and graduated from Süleyman Demirel University between 2019 and 2023. An exploratory sequential mixed-methods design was adopted in the study. Qualitative data were collected through focus group interviews, and quantitative analysis was then conducted using a questionnaire developed based on these findings. The sample consists of two main groups: students and graduates from the Faculties of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Communication, and Engineering. In the data analysis process, advanced statistical techniques such as descriptive statistics, difference analyses, exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and the Multinomial Logit Model were applied. The main findings of the study reveal strong positive correlations among distance education factors. The "Learning Motivation and Personal Responsibility" factor was found to have the strongest positive effect on employment variables for both current students and graduates. It was determined that students' pessimistic approach to employment expectations during this process did not fully align with graduates' experiences. One of the important findings of the study is that students in the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences have more positive expectations regarding professional development than students in other faculties. The findings of the study are expected to serve as strategic guidance on how higher education policies should be directed during crises such as Covid-19.