Job opportunities are on the increase and so is the demand for a highly educated and skilled work force. To help prepare young men and women for the evolving needs of the job market, public and private institutions of higher education have been established in almost every major Saudi city.

To meet the demands of commerce and industry, the number of Saudis attending university has grown rapidly. Many do so only because it is expected of them.

Others are more focused. They are driven by the need to have a degree in an increasingly competitive job market and a university degree is now almost mandatory. A degree was once a passport to a job; now it is a minimum entry qualification for a candidate to be considered for a job. As a result, employers are demanding an ever more-qualified applicant.

“If it comes to a point in my life where I wasn’t satisfied with my job and it would be a good career move, then I would definitely apply to do my Master’s degree,” said Abdullah Al-Qurashi, a marketing student at Jeddah-based College of Business Administration. Reasons Saudis pursue a degree vary; it might be to find a job or to achieve a higher stature. As Al-Anoud Al-Ghalib, a fashion design student at Millennium Institute of Technology and Management explained, a university degree is prestigious and helps in raising one’s social status in society.

“I’m a fashion addict,” she said. “Therefore I majored in fashion designing to help fulfill my passion. I just wanted to acquire the major basics that would help me start my own fashion line.”

For new college graduates in this tight economy, becoming the perfect job candidate is a tall order. As soon a Saudi student graduates, the job hunting begins and so do the difficulties. Most of them are not prepared, as they neither know how to look nor where to find one. Most importantly they don’t know what the major skills needed in the labor market are. Every employer is looking for a specific set of skills from job seekers.

When jobs are few, it is even more important for job seekers to align their skills with employers’ needs.

Maisoon Dakhil, KAU’s assistant professor of education, said that when employers hired fresh graduates for most jobs, they did not look at the degree itself.

“They look mostly at the graduate’s skills, what they accomplished and where they trained. They are seeking an inquiring and questioning mind.”

Dakhil recommended that students constantly check the job market before, during and after they get their degree.

“It’s never too late to check with the job market and see what it needs and what jobs need to be filled in order for them to improve themselves and gain more experience and skills by training,” she said.

She added that the most effective tool to increase students’ chances of getting a job was to establish a school career-counseling center. Students needed help with job applications and proper training for job interviews. Counselors should play that role and also know about job openings and career events and help students get internships to achieve the experience they need.

In the last four years, the government has given higher education particular attention. The number of Saudi universities is still rising. Statistics from the Ministry of Higher Education show that the number of Saudi students applying for universities went up to 189,656 students last year. Compared with 161,277 three years ago. The number of graduates in the same year went up to 85,187 compared with 69,936 three years ago.

It was impossible for the job market to accommodate that huge number of graduates; this created a huge problem among Saudi society.

Despite the large number of Saudi graduates, unemployment in Saudi Arabia continues to rise. Thirty years ago it was a lot easier for Saudis to get a job. The lack of a degree was not an obstacle, but nowadays most jobs demand one.

According to Saud Musheikh, training project manager at NCB, for the past ten years a degree was not as important as it is these days. Employers used to stress the applicant’s experience.

“Around five years ago this kind of recruiting stopped, for they wanted to raise the standard of their employment; experience is not that important anymore,” he said. “They seek fresh minds.” Khaled Abdulkarim, CEO of Abdulkarim Holdings said: “Employers want to select employees who have or who can learn the skills necessary to do the job.” In his opinion certain jobs demanded certain skills. Well-paid jobs needed much more than a university degree; they demanded skills and qualifications. A graduate who aimed high should bear in mind that this was a competitive job market.

Former Minister of Education Abdullah Al-Obaid said to Arab News in January 2009, that about 90 percent of education output in Saudi Arabia was not linked to the needs of the labor market.

He added: “The function of general education in any country is to prepare students for the labor market or for university education. This is what our current education system is trying to achieve.”

The problem he opined lay with the Kingdom’s educational system. Vocational training and other sectors were responsible for training the young once they finish their education.

A university degree is a first step on the career path but skills and experience also play a big role. Combination helps the employee get higher in both position and career ladder. Ammar Shata, executive director of Al-Khabeer Capital Financial Advisors, said: “A degree only serves a graduate in the first five years after graduation. The skills and qualifications role comes after that. Graduates should focus on expanding their knowledge and improving their skills through these five years.”

Degrees do not carry the weight they used to when it comes to getting a job. They are no longer passports to employment, especially when their subject matter does not integrate with the specific requirements of the job market.