Employment Opportunities, Latency, and Satisfaction among KAUFD Graduates

Abstract

Introduction With the expansion in dental education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the increased number of graduating dentists, the current marketplace has become less accommodating, leaving several dental graduates unemployed. Objectives This study aimed to estimate the latency of getting the first job among graduates of King AbdulAziz University Faculty of Dentistry (KAUFD) and to assess the factors that may influence the latency of getting the first job, to evaluate the financial and professional satisfaction of the first job, and to determine the sectors that provide the highest number of employment opportunities. Methods A 20-item self-administered questionnaire was developed, and face validity was confirmed. The questionnaire was populated using Google Survey Forms® and distributed between December 2022 and January 2023 to all dentists who graduated from KAUFD in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Results A total of 100 respondents undertook the questionnaire, of which 55% were females. The majority of respondents were in the age range of 25 to 27 years old. Fifty-six percent of the respondents managed to secure their first job by the time this questionnaire was undertaken and 42% reported getting their jobs within the first year after graduation. There was no influence of gender, graduation Grade Point Average (GPA), and Saudi Dental License Exam (SDLE) scores on job opportunities (p= 0.21, 0.418, and 0.606, respectively) or latency for getting the first job (p=0.654, p=0.745, and 0.374, respectively). Almost half of the job opportunities were provided by the private sector. Of the respondents, 46% reported a lack of financial satisfaction, while 37% reported a lack of professional satisfaction. Conclusion A significant number of new KAUFD graduates are encountering difficulties in getting their first job. Only half of the graduates managed to secure a job within the first year after graduation. Age, GPA, and SDLE scores had no influence on job opportunities. Capitalization of the private sector/enterprises is the future direction. Further studies are needed from other dental institutions.