Perceived Importance of Work Experience for Decision-Making, Career Growth and Salary: An Exploratory Primary Survey of Workers in India

Authors

  • Jayashree Roy Doon Business School, Dehradun, India Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.68219/9fjmqj08

Abstract

In this exploratory study, we have explored workers’ perceptions about the value of experience in decision-making, career development and salary growth, as well as how these perceptions differ by age, education and working hours. We surveyed 127 workers in Berhampore, West Bengal for a snowball sampling study and also quantified it with a cross-sectional approach. We found a lot of support for work experience and they think it is necessary to make decisions effectively, to advance career and to raise salary. Experience from reputed brands was also seen as helpful and this was very common across age groups, education levels and work hours. In addition, all respondents reported that education and experience are complementary, so that work experience is not seen as a substitute for formal education. In general the study indicates the role of work experience in professional development and career progression and the non-random sample of the individuals is limited in the validity of the findings.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/books-and-chapters/human-capital-theoretical-and-empirical-analysis-special-reference-education

Biernacki, P., & Waldorf, D. (1981). Snowball sampling: Problems and techniques of chain referral sampling. Sociological Methods & Research, 10(2), 141–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/004912418101000205

BW Businessworld. (2026). Capability takes centre stage as hiring shifts beyond degrees. https://www.businessworld.in/article/capability-takes-centre-stage-as-hiring-shifts-beyond-degrees-601254

Cable, D. M., & Turban, D. B. (2003). The value of organizational reputation in the recruitment context: A brand-equity perspective. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 33(11), 2244–2266. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2003.tb01883.x

Chen, J., & Kanjilal-Bhaduri, S. (2022). Updates on returns to education in India: Analysis using PLFS 2018–19 data (IZA Discussion Paper No. 15002). IZA Institute of Labor Economics. https://docs.iza.org/dp15002.pdf

Clopper, C. J., & Pearson, E. S. (1934). The use of confidence or fiducial limits illustrated in the case of the binomial. Biometrika, 26(4), 404–413. https://doi.org/10.1093/biomet/26.4.404

Dokko, G., Wilk, S. L., & Rothbard, N. P. (2009). Unpacking prior experience: How career history affects job performance. Organization Science, 20(1), 51–68. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1080.0357

Fisher, R. A. (1935). The logic of inductive inference. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 98(1), 39–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/2342435

HR Dive. (2024, May). Less than a third of job postings require years of experience, Indeed says. https://www.hrdive.com/news/fewer-job-postings-require-years-experience-indeed/717103/

Info Edge. (2026, April). Naukri JobSpeak: FY27 opens at 6% growth as insurance leads the pack; banking and IT sectors remain under pressure. Naukri.com. https://www.naukri.com/blog/naukri-jobspeak-april-26-growth-in-insurance-leads-the-pack-banking-and-it-sectors/

Jovanovic, B. (1979). Job matching and the theory of turnover. Journal of Political Economy, 87(5), 972–990. https://doi.org/10.1086/260808

Kahneman, D., & Klein, G. (2009). Conditions for intuitive expertise: A failure to disagree. American Psychologist, 64(6), 515–526. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016755

Klein, G. (1998). Sources of power: How people make decisions. MIT Press.

Kruskal, W. H., & Wallis, W. A. (1952). Use of ranks in one-criterion variance analysis. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 47(260), 583–621. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1952.10483441

Mann, H. B., & Whitney, D. R. (1947). On a test of whether one of two random variables is stochastically larger than the other. The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 18(1), 50–60. https://doi.org/10.1214/aoms/1177730491

McDaniel, M. A., Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (1988). A meta-analysis of the validity of methods for rating training and experience in personnel selection. Personnel Psychology, 41(2), 283–314. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1988.tb00638.x

Mercer. (2025). India's graduate skill index 2025. https://www.mercer.com/insights/talent-and-transformation/talent-assessment/indias-graduate-skill-index-2025/

Mincer, J. (1974). Schooling, experience, and earnings. Columbia University Press.

Ng, T. W. H., Eby, L. T., Sorensen, K. L., & Feldman, D. C. (2005). Predictors of objective and subjective career success: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 58(2), 367–408. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2005.00515.x

Ng, T. W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2009). How broadly does education contribute to job performance? Personnel Psychology, 62(1), 89–134. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2008.01130.x

NIIT. (2026). India skills gap report 2026. https://www.niit.com/authoring/Documents/Corporate%20Governance/NIIT%20India%20Skills%20Gap%20Report%202026..pdf

Palakeel, N. J., & Aryan, D. (2026). An econometric analysis of the Mincer wage equation: The association of education and experience with wages in India. SSRN. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6739599

Pandey, V., Gupta, R., & Himanshu. (2026b). The relevance of sustainability in education. In T. Turzo, S. O. Idowu, & C. Gulluscio (Eds.), Sustainability in education. Springer.

Pandey, V., Himanshu, & Abhayawansa, S. (2026a). Does firms' environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance buffer the crash-risk consequences of earnings management? Evidence from emerging markets. Sustainable Development, Article e71690.

Pramahender, Himanshu, & Kandpal, V. (2021). Determining interlinkages between the measures of financial literacy: An MCDM approach. Journal of Public Affairs, 21(2), Article e2287.

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J.-Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879

Press Trust of India. (2019, July 4). HDFC Bank aims to hire 5,000 freshers over next three years. Business Today. https://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/banks/hdfc-banks-aims-to-hire-5000-freshers-over-next-three-years/story/361296.html

Quiñones, M. A., Ford, J. K., & Teachout, M. S. (1995). The relationship between work experience and job performance: A conceptual and meta-analytic review. Personnel Psychology, 48(4), 887–910. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1995.tb01785.x

Rani, S., Danu, A., & Himanshu. (2026). Does digital competence really matter? The impact of attitude and ICT on research performance. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 18(4), 1125–1147.

Society for Human Resource Management. (2024). Experience and education requirements in job postings decline. https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/experience-and-education-requirements-in-job-postings-decline

Spearman, C. (1904). The proof and measurement of association between two things. The American Journal of Psychology, 15(1), 72–101. https://doi.org/10.2307/1412159

Spence, M. (1973). Job market signaling. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010

Srivastava, S. P., Srivastava, S., Varshney, H., & Paigude, S. (2025). Sustainable entrepreneurship in emerging economies (BRICS): Unveiling opportunities amid challenges. In The synergy of sustainable entrepreneurship (pp. 255–284). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.

Tesluk, P. E., & Jacobs, R. R. (1998). Toward an integrated model of work experience. Personnel Psychology, 51(2), 321–355. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1998.tb00728.x

Topel, R. (1991). Specific capital, mobility, and wages: Wages rise with job seniority. Journal of Political Economy, 99(1), 145–176. https://doi.org/10.1086/261744

Van Iddekinge, C. H., Arnold, J. D., Frieder, R. E., & Roth, P. L. (2019). A meta-analysis of the criterion-related validity of prehire work experience. Personnel Psychology, 72(4), 571–598. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12335

Wilson, E. B. (1927). Probable inference, the law of succession, and statistical inference. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 22(158), 209–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1927.10502953

Downloads

Published

2026-09-30

How to Cite

Perceived Importance of Work Experience for Decision-Making, Career Growth and Salary: An Exploratory Primary Survey of Workers in India. (2026). International Journal of Commerce, Economics and Management Research (IJCEMR), 1(2), 77-92. https://doi.org/10.68219/9fjmqj08