Exploratory Study on University Labor Supply
A comprehensive research initiative led by GAN Guatemala, CACIF, and the Guatemala No Se Detiene Human Capital Table. The study analyzes the profile, competencies, and expectations of university students to identify gaps between academic training and the reality of the labor market, promoting data-driven decision-making for educators and employers.
Timeline
2025
Partners & funders
GAN Guatemala
Lead
CACIF
Lead
Mesa de Capital Humano - Guatemala No Se Detiene
Lead
Foundation for the Development of Guatemala (FUNDESA)
Collaborator
The challenge
Guatemala faces a critical “talent disconnect.” While 83% of companies hire young people, 72% report that retaining this talent is more difficult than attracting it. There is a marked gap between university graduates’ salary expectations and market reality, often leading to frustration and high turnover. Furthermore, essential soft skills like negotiation and time management are under-developed in technical fields, creating a barrier to effective professional insertion in high-demand sectors.
What we did
We conducted a multi-dimensional analysis of the university labor supply, cross-referencing student self-evaluations with market data. Key activities included:
- Competency Mapping: We evaluated the “maturity level” of soft skills across different disciplines, finding that Business and Law students report 50% higher confidence in persuasion skills compared to Engineering or Health students.
- Salary & Sector Analysis: We benchmarked salary expectations against actual data, identifying Technology (ITO) and Construction as the highest-paying sectors.
- Impact of Internships: We measured the direct effect of early work experience, discovering that internships increase student self-confidence in time management by 25-30%.
- Advocacy: We used the findings to advocate for mandatory internship programs and dual education models as essential tools to bridge the skills gap.
Outcomes
- The study revealed that the Technology (ITO) and Construction sectors offer the most competitive average salaries (approx. Q14,300 and Q12,600 respectively), guiding vocational orientation efforts.
- It highlighted a critical need to reinforce "business skills" (negotiation, persuasion) in technical careers, where they are often viewed as "not applicable."
- The data supports the push for the "Guatemala No Se Detiene" initiative to formalize dual education, proving that experience is the primary catalyst for professional maturity.
- The study was launched publicly to align the expectations of students, parents, and universities with the actual demands of the modern economy.
