The desired employability skills and work readiness of graduates: Evidence from the perspective of established and well-known employers of an emerging economy

Established and well-known employers in Bangladesh often complain that suitable candidates are not available for employment in their organizations, despite the millions of unemployed graduates in the country. This bears clear witness that graduates in Bangladesh are mostly unable to fulfill the needs and expectations of established and well-known employers. Employing a qualitative research approach, this article explores the desired employability skills and graduates' work readiness from the perspective of established and well-known employers in Bangladesh. The study identified the desired skills and traits as 'communication' 'teamwork and collaboration', 'problem solving', 'computer literacy and technical skill', 'honesty and integrity', 'hardworking and willingness to take on extra work', 'achievement orientation', 'adaptability', 'time management', 'leadership', 'personality' and 'academic results and knowledge'. The study also revealed that graduates mostly lack the necessary skills as envisaged by Bangladeshi employers. As employers have outright authority in the selection of graduates, it is suggested that universities work together with industries to develop the skills and traits they demand. This is the first study, to the authors' knowledge, to explore employability skills and graduates' work readiness from the perspective of established and well-known employers in Bangladesh.