Social Phenomenology of Communication Science Graduates Experiencing Prolonged Unemployment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37676/sosj.v3i2.1694Keywords:
Social Phenomenology, Job Seekers, Prolonged Unemployment, Communication Graduates, Alfred SchutzAbstract
This study aims to understand the experiences and meanings constructed by 2024 Communication Science graduates of Universitas Dehasen Bengkulu who experienced prolonged unemployment. This research uses a qualitative approach with Alfred Schutz's social phenomenology. The analysis focuses on four concepts: subjective meaning, intersubjectivity, typification, and stock of knowledge. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, observation, and documentation involving four graduates who experienced a job waiting period of more than six months. The findings show that prolonged unemployment is not only interpreted as the absence of employment, but also as a life experience involving social pressure, anxiety about the future, declining self-confidence, and adjustment within family, friendship, and community environments. Subjective meaning appears through uncertainty and learning during the waiting period. Intersubjectivity is formed through social interaction, typification appears through labels attached to unemployed graduates, and stock of knowledge is reflected in the use of education, communication skills, digital media, and vacancy information as resources for job searching.
References
1. Allen, J., & van der Velden, R. (2011). Educational mismatches versus skill mismatches: Effects on wages, job satisfaction, and on-the-job search. Oxford Economic Papers, 63(4), 734-754.
2. Badan Pusat Statistik. (2024). Open unemployment rate by education level. BPS. https://www.bps.go.id
3. Badan Pusat Statistik. (2025). Open unemployment rate by highest education completed. BPS. https://www.bps.go.id
4. Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism: Perspective and method. University of California Press.
5. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
6. Goffman, E. (1959). The presentation of self in everyday life. Doubleday.
7. Husserl, E. (1970). The crisis of European sciences and transcendental phenomenology. Northwestern University Press.
8. Kurniawan, A. (2021). Competency gaps among communication graduates in the digital media industry. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 18(1), 45-60.
9. McKee-Ryan, F. M., Song, Z., Wanberg, C. R., & Kinicki, A. J. (2005). Psychological and physical well-being during unemployment: A meta-analytic study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 90(1), 53-76.
10. Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. SAGE Publications.
11. Nugroho, A., & Wibowo, T. (2020). Educational mismatch and educated unemployment in Indonesia. Jurnal Ekonomi dan Pembangunan Indonesia, 20(2), 145-160.
12. Pathak, A., & Intratat, C. (2022). Phenomenology in qualitative research: An analytical review. Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 28(4), 350-360.
13. Rahmawati, D. (2020). Challenges faced by communication science graduates in entering the labor market. Jurnal Komunikasi Profesional, 4(2), 98-110.
14. Schutz, A. (1967). The phenomenology of the social world (G. Walsh & F. Lehnert, Trans.). Northwestern University Press.
15. Suryadarma, D., Suryahadi, A., & Sumarto, S. (2022). Education, employment, and inequality in Indonesia. Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 58(1), 1-25.
16. Susanto, R., & Putri, A. (2022). Digital competencies of communication graduates in the Industry 4.0 era. Jurnal Ilmu Komunikasi, 19(2), 155-170.
17. Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 13 of 2003 concerning Manpower
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nedya Rike Pebrianti, Martha Heriniazwi Dhianti, Yanto Yanto

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




