Union slams Paypal chief’s claims about Irish graduates

Streetwise school-leavers or workers with life experience are more likely to get a job with Paypal than graduates.

Louise Phelan, who heads up the Irish wing of the online payments company, revealed more than 60% of the 1,800 people employed by Paypal in Ireland are not graduates. Earlier this week, she said some graduate job applicants exhibited a sense of entitlement and expected to be handed everything on a plate.

But John Logue, president of the Union of Students in Ireland said Ms Phelan’s statements “seem to be based almost entirely on anecdotal evidence and hearsay, with no reference whatsoever to research”.

“The overwhelming evidence suggests that Irish graduates are not lazy, they have realistic expectations as regards what to expect in an entry level position, and they are more than willing to learn new skills,” he said.

Citing a US survey that contrasted Paypal’s 61% staff satisfaction with Facebook’s 94%, Mr Logue said: “The responsibility for ensuring that graduates have the requisite skills for the workplace lies not only with the individual, but with the employer and our education system.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s The John Murray Show, Ms Phelan said: “We have some amazing graduates working with us... but others are not streetwise and lack experience. They may have lots of academic achievements but no practical skills.”