Graduate Unemployment in Post-Haircut Cyprus: Where Have All the Students Gone?

Abstract

In this chapter, I would like to discuss the state of higher education in Cyprus and especially the prospects of students after they finish their studies in the context of the current economic crisis. The chapter is partly a collection of stories based on experiences of graduate students themselves. It is also partly about the distinctive character of the evolution of higher education in Cyprus, with its strong emphasis on the dichotomy between the private and the state sector, and the manner in which education is valued and stigmatised in Cypriot society. Research for this chapter was conducted through ethnographic interviews with communications graduates (both bachelor’s and master’s) whom I had taught at the University of Nicosia. Because of the economic crisis in the Republic of Cyprus, many of these former students now face the prospects of unemployment, employment insecurity, and low-income, highly exploitative jobs. These interviews, which are a collection of insights and stories, will lead to some inferences and generalisations from my qualitative sample.