Innopersonas study: What are Spanish university students like and how do they see their incorporation into the labour market?

The Madrid Chamber of Commerce, the Business Confederation of Madrid and the University Business Foundation (FUE) have just presented the results of an ambitious study on the commitment of university students: their perception of the labour market, their motivations for working, their expectations and their attitude towards scholarships in companies.

The study, carried out byInopersonas and based on more than 3,000 interviews, allows us to obtain an excellent portrait of Spanish university students in the last year of their degree. The results are even more interesting, if we take into account that they are one of the first generations of Digital Natives who are going to join the labour market. The data debunks some of the most deeply-rooted myths about Spanish youth, and confirms other realities that until now we could only intuit.

Key findings

– 93% of students are very worried about their future employment, and consider it urgent to join the market. This concern and urgency already existed in May 2008, but the presence of the economic crisis has caused it to grow by approximately 20 points in one year. – Half of them believe that they will not be able to work in what they have studied. The most optimistic are students of Health Sciences and technical careers, and the least optimistic are studying Humanities. – The study dismantles one of the most strongly implanted myths: most students prefer to look for a job in private companies rather than in the public sector. All this, despite the uncertainty generated by the crisis. – When we talk about motivation, students especially value learning and taking on responsibilities, over free time and remuneration. – There is a myth, however, that far from collapsing, is confirmed as fully real: the entrepreneurial spirit is still very low. The vast majority prefer that “someone else invents and takes the risks”. The motivation to create companies, to become self-employed professionals and even to travel at the end of the degree remains at very low levels. – The Internet has definitely replaced personal contacts when looking for a job.

University Student Portrait

And if this is the portrait of the Spanish university student in their final year, these are the recommendations that companies should take into account:

1. Personal development and belonging. Young people attach much more importance to personal development and the fact of being part of a team than to the possibility of having more free time, or to remuneration. For this reason, the management of young people’s talent must be based on “accompaniment of the person”. The assignment of a colleague to help them join the organization, the possibility of attending introductory meetings and training are some of the keys that companies must take into account.

2. The importance of the team. The atmosphere within the team is fundamental, and is marked by the direct impact of the boss and colleagues. To the extent that they dedicate time to the newly incorporated employee, and help them learn and integrate, they will be able to reinforce their motivation and commitment.

Study data

The more than 3000 interviews were carried out with Spanish university students in the last year of their degree at two different times: in May 2008 and in 2009, so they reflect the evolution of perceptions as the economic crisis became more visible. It is one of the most complete works in recent years: it covers the entire Spanish geography, and the data have been analysed according to the different degrees, the public or private nature of the university, gender and geographical distribution. In addition, it has been completed with surveys of more than 500 companies collaborating with the FUE, and more than 1000 scholarship holders.