Exploring the Effect on the Employability of Criminology Graduates Amidst Rising Noncriminology Demand

Abstract

In recent years, the employment opportunities of criminology graduates were significantly affected by the increasing number of non-criminology graduates entering law enforcement. This study looked at the challenges criminology graduates face during job-seeking. In data analyzing, the researchers used Collaizzi's seven-step method. Twelve participants engaged in an in-depth face-to-face interview based on a questionnaire made by the researchers. This included a criminologist who graduated within 2020 – 2024 who are employed within or outside the field provided they have experience applying within the field. Six cluster themes emerged: motivation and educational background in criminology, expectation vs. realities of employment, challenges in employment application process, competition from non-criminology graduates, factors behind preference for noncriminology graduates, and strategies for criminology graduates to stay competitive. The findings revealed that participants generally have high confidence that they could easily enter any law enforcement agency, however several factors proved to be a persistent hinder in their employment. They lacked verbal and communication skills as well as educational software literacy. They also reportedly experienced psychological and financial constraints; and the hiring standards of law enforcement agencies proved to be rigorous, adding to the fact that the agencies recently preferred employing non-criminology graduates due to changing needs of the society. Such setbacks made the job market become highly competitive limiting their employment opportunities thus, creating a huge barrier in their career growth. Based on these findings, the researchers suggest that institutions should implement interactive career orientation, integrate the Information and Technology Literacy in the curriculum, and check on their employability status within the last two to three years. The criminology graduates should likewise focus in preparing their financial, physical, and mental capabilities while strengthening their qualifications through gaining extra certification and professional networking.