Occupational choice among Maltese University graduates : a study of the interplay between social and personal factors on career outcomes

Abstract

The number of university graduates in Malta is increasing at a fast rate - driven among others, by the government's targets set in line with the Lisbon agenda. This study aims to understand the influences of socio-demographic characteristics and personality aspects upon the occupational choices of graduates. An examination of the Maltese socio-economic and cultural context confirms that any relations emerging in this study need to be viewed in terms of the specific Maltese scenario. Previous research shows the relevance of the socio-demographic characteristics of social class, schooling, gender, age, and locality of residence in determining one's career. Bourdieu's concepts of 'Cultural Capital' and the 'Habitus' also throw an important light on this topic. On the other hand, a focus on the role of the individual actor in occupational choice reveals the utility of analysing factors related to personality and interests, in particular, the 'Big Five Personality Traits' and Holland's 'Theory of Career Choice'. The study is based on a quantitative approach which was deemed optimal to answer the research questions which search for relationships among variables. Questionnaire data was collected from 560 Maltese graduates, four years after they finished their university studies. The results indicate that middle class families are not more heterogenous in their cultural consumption than other families. This study also demonstrates the utility of combining socio-demographic and personality variables in the study of graduates' careers. While the educational tracks of graduates depend considerably on their socio-demographic background, graduates' employment outcomes tend to be influenced more consistently by their personality traits. However, socio-demographic factors might play a more salient role in relation to work outcomes when different professional fields are examined separately. Besides, personality traits, especially Conscientiousness, play a relevant moderating role in the relationship between structural factors and the employment outcomes of graduates. On the other hand, this study does not yield strong support to the idea that a better Person-Environment fit necessarily leads to more positive employment outcomes.