Afterschool
August 28, 2014
According to Payscale, a global salary profile database, graduates of general studies, English, and graphic design are most likely to feel underemployed. These and more are based on its recent survey of 68,000 workers. The 2014 survey revealed that 43% of respondents feel underemployed.
Underemployment means not having enough paid work or not doing work that fully engages their skills and knowledge. In the survey, respondents cited poor pay as a leading factor. Furthermore, those citing underemployment were mostly female.
Interestingly, graduates of business courses are also feeling the pinch. According to PayScale, a simple bachelor's degree in business won't get a graduate very far. Hence, business majors should consider taking more advanced degree like an MBA in order to qualify for jobs that pay better.
Meanwhile, graduates of STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields are lest likely to be underemployed. Engineering degrees accounted for six of the ten lease underemployed majors.
On the contrary, a 2014 survey done by JobsCentral Malaysia showed that engineers, lawyers and doctors turned out to be the unhappiest people in Malaysia.
The survey took responses from 3,508 Malaysians, and showed a slight decrease in their work satisfaction from 60.4 in 2012 to 59.05 this year, out of a maximum score of 100.
The source of their unhappiness is due to the lack of higher positions (promotion in the workplace) for professional degree holders. Engineers, doctors and lawyers scored a work happiness rating of 53.3, the lowest among various academic qualification holders.
Interestingly, the happiest workers came from the those who earned the lowest (from RM999 a month and below). They had a happiness rate of 61.5.