By the survey results, 63% of students from agricultural higher education institutions are not willing to work in rural areas. According to the experts of the Agency AgriSurvey, this tendency has been preserving for many years, however, the number of graduates ready to get a job in a village has increased by 16% over the past two years.

The survey, conducted by the Agency AgriSurvey among students of economic and industry-oriented specialties of agricultural universities, points out that the majority of the graduates are not prepared to work in a village. Among the interviewed, 19% do not want to work in the countryside anyway, and 20% refuse to work in a village the first three years even with prospects for further transfer to the main office in the city.  Instead, 42% of surveyed students are willing to spend the first three years after graduation, working in a village. Especially ths is attractive for the students who come originally from rural areas.

The same time the survey results point to gradual positive changes in the students’ attitude to work in the countryside and in the agicultural sector in general. When in 2012 only 10% of students planned to work in a village, in 2014 this part has risen up to 16%. 63% of the students want to work in the city that is by 4% less than two years ago.

"The problem of absence of young people in the village is very critical for further development of the agricultural sector. While the students are thinking about getting the second higher education in the field of law or economics, in the agricultural sector, there is an acute shortage of workers in industrial specialties (63%). Furthermore, according to the results of our survey, almost every second agrarian company is ready to hire graduates without working experience. But it looks like the infrastructure in rural areas is not yet attracting for young professionals to work in the countryside” - said Anna Kvit, the Coordinator of the sociological and marketing research of the Agency AgriSurvey.

Нагадаємо, асоціація «Український клуб аграрного бізнесу» (УКАБ) та агенція «AgriJob» ініціювали всеукраїнський проект «Найкращі студентські ідеї для агробізнесу», метою якого є пошук обдарованих студентів та випускників. Докладніше з умовами проекту можна ознайомитися тут.

For information, the Association "Ukrainian Agribusiness Club” (UCAB) and the Agency" AgriJob» initiated nationwide project «AgriBusiness Ideas of Advanced Students (AgriBIAS)», the purpose of which is to search for talented students and graduates. Details on the terms of the project can be found here.