Armenia's graduate job crisis highlights mismatch between education and labor market, politician says

Armenia’s higher education system is increasingly out of step with labor market demands, leaving a large proportion of university graduates unable to find employment in their chosen fields, according to Narek Karapetyan, a board member of the Strong Armenia party running in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

 In a video posted on social media on Tuesday, Karapetyan attributed the issue to a structural disconnect between academic institutions and the country’s economic priorities, arguing that universities are producing graduates without sufficient regard for actual workforce needs.

He cited Germany as a benchmark for effective coordination, where the economy ministry communicates specific labor requirements to the education ministry, effectively commissioning the training of professionals in targeted sectors.

“In Germany, the Ministry of Economy places an order with the Ministry of Education, requesting the preparation of, for example, 10,000 engineers, 20,000 programmers, as well as marketing specialists and translators,” Karapetyan said.

He expressed confidence that implementing a similar demand-driven model in Armenia could secure employment for up to 80% of graduates, noting that the domestic economy has a clear need for a more strategically trained workforce.

Karapetyan pointed to his own academic experience to illustrate the depth of the problem. A graduate of Yerevan State University’s Faculty of International Relations, he said none of his former classmates are currently working in their field of specialization.

“This reflects wasted years of study and significant financial burdens on families, often amounting to millions of drams, with little to no professional return,” he said.