Opening the black-box of graduates’ horizontal skills: diverging labour market outcomes in Italy

This paper assesses labour market outcomes associated with the acquisition of different graduate competences in the Italian labour markets particularly focusing on ‘soft skills’ developed during HE programs. By using a classification of graduate jobs that distinguishes between different horizontal skills, namley managerial and communication skills, the paper conducts an empirical analysis of the benefits of being employed in such occupations having completed a degree program. These benefits are assessed across time, referring to the period following the crisis and to most recent available data. Results show that only ‘communication’ skills provide higher benefits than discipline-related skills. Moreover, the higher education system seems not to provide higher education graduates with distinctive ‘managerial’ competences compared to non-graduate workers suggesting that these types of social skills can be developed through alternative learning paths, such as work-based experience or other extra-curricular activities. © 2020, © 2020 Society for Research into Higher Education.