Employers Perception of Factors Determining Business Graduates' Employability: Evidence from Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study set out to determine the factors that employers look for when recruiting business school graduates in Saudi Arabia. To attain this aim, a structured questionnaire was distributed to 250 employers in the regions of Riyadh and Qassim in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 135 copies were returned, constituting a 54% usable response rate. The output of the questionnaire analyses showed that employers assign importance to knowledge, hard and soft skills, and the ability to work within groups. However, employers attach high importance to the ability of the job applicants to work within groups and to their soft skills. The questionnaire analyses further revealed that the level of importance that employers attach to employability factors such as hard and soft skills, and their ability to work in groups is affected by the employers' age, the place from where they obtained their last academic qualification, and the years of work experience.