The role of social capital in the employability of university graduates in Zambia: a case of university of Zambia graduates (2000 - 2015).

The research presented in this paper was designed to investigate the
role of social capital in the employability of University Graduates in Zambia:
A Case of University of Zambia Graduates. The study focused on the period
between the years 2000 and 2015. In this study social capital was
operationalised as social connections that can be used in search of jobs.
Employability was operationalised as the ability to get employed or get a job.
This research used a sequential mixed method research design to investigate
the research problem. The study was carried out in the City of Lusaka. 208
University of Zambia Graduates and 16 employers participated in this study.
Data were collected using a questionnaire and interviews. Statistical Package
for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used in the management and analysis of
quantitative data while thematic analysis was applied in the analysis of
qualitative data. The results from this study indicated that UNZA Graduates
attach a lot of importance to the use of social connections in search of job
opportunities in the labour market. However, only powerful social connections
were effective in this process and were not available to everyone. The results
also revealed that social connections through relatives and close friends were
more effective in their employability than social connections through
acquaintances and potential employers. In conclusion, this study showed that
social connections facilitated by relatives and close friends through people of European Scientific Journal, ESJ ISSN: 1857-7881 (Print) e - ISSN 1857-7431
October 2021 edition Vol.17, No.35
www.eujournal.org 112
influence in society were more effective but, to a large extent, they depend on
one’s social status.
Keywords: University Graduates, labour market, social capital,
employability, social connections