International Journal of

ADVANCED AND APPLIED SCIENCES

EISSN: 2313-3724, Print ISSN: 2313-626X

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 Volume 11, Issue 2 (February 2024), Pages: 41-49

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 Original Research Paper

Saudi social work students' perceptions of future career: A quantitative and qualitative research in light of changes in the labor market and social representations of jobs

 Author(s): 

 Mongi Ibrahim Zidi *, Turki L. Al-Shallagi

 Affiliation(s):

 Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts, University of Haʼil, Haʼil, Saudi Arabia

 Full text

  Full Text - PDF

 * Corresponding Author. 

  Corresponding author's ORCID profile: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7274-6432

 Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

 https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2024.02.006

 Abstract

This study explores the views of Saudi social work students about their career prospects, especially considering the reduced job openings for students in humanities and social sciences. Unlike most research that focuses on science and medical fields, this study aims to bridge the gap by examining social work students. It employs surveys and focus groups to understand why students choose social work as a major and what they expect from their careers post-graduation. The findings reveal that students often choose this major not out of passion or a calling but to gain a university degree and secure a government job, which offers job stability and social status. The extended wait for employment has led to a willingness to take up jobs previously seen as unsuitable for Saudis. Additionally, the lack of university support in career planning leaves many students feeling uncertain and doubtful, highlighting the issue of transitioning from education to the workforce.

 © 2024 The Authors. Published by IASE.

 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

 Keywords

 Saudi social work students, Career prospects, University degree, Government jobs, Education to workforce transition

 Article history

 Received 15 September 2023, Received in revised form 18 January 2024, Accepted 21 January 2024

 Acknowledgment 

This research has been funded by Dr. Nasser Al-Rasheed, scientific Chair for future pioneers, at the University of Haʼil–Saudi Arabia, through project number “SCR-22013.”

 Compliance with ethical standards

 Ethical considerations

This study was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects. Prior to data collection, approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at the University of Ha'il, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Informed consent was provided by all participants, emphasizing that their participation was completely voluntary. Participants were informed of their right to withdraw from the study at any time without any penalty.

 Conflict of interest: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

 Citation:

 Zidi MI and Al-Shallagi TL (2024). Saudi social work students' perceptions of future career: A quantitative and qualitative research in light of changes in the labor market and social representations of jobs. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 11(2): 41-49

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 Figures

 Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 

 Tables

 Table 1 

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