Defining female students expectations of the job market of tomorrow

Abstract

The purpose of the thesis is to examine how companies can ensure the retention of future female employees´ long term. To gain the needed information the thesis deter-mines the values, workplace benefit preferences, probable challenges on the labour market and expectations that female students studying at Lahti University of applied sciences have towards their future work positions and employers. By discovering the above-mentioned factors, the aim is to outline the facets which are necessary to assure future job satisfaction among the female students. Primary and secondary sources are used to gather information, data and facts, which are analysed, compared and defined throughout the thesis. Primary data is collected using a quantitative survey addressed to female students attending the same university of Applied Sciences as the author and to Finnish female business professionals. Books, journals and articles provide secondary sources to the thesis, which focus on Schwartz Value Theory and Schein´s Career Anchors, creating the theoretical part. Valuable information about the expectations of the female future workforce at Lahti University of Applied Sciences is gathered. While the female students are still studying and before entering the job market is the crucial point to discover their expectations. Values, wellbeing options, possible benefits and the challenges of the labour market are defined in this thesis and the study results underline the above-mentioned theories but give new insights as well. The study supports companies to define and adjust to the expectations of the female future workforce, helping these to insure retention long term. The results of the study are a groundwork for further future female workforce studies and long-term retention analysis of the female future workforce.