Global degrees, local realities: A comparative study of the graduate employability of international graduate returnees in developing economies

• In Event: International Student Experience

Proposal

Background and research questions
International education has become a significant pathway for students from developing countries seeking to enhance their academic and professional prospects (Altbach & Knight, 2007). However, the process of reintegrating and navigating the home country’s labor market is often complex and challenging (Pritchard, 2011). While many studies have examined the experiences of international students during their studies abroad, less attention has been paid to the employment outcomes and challenges they face after returning to their home countries, particularly in the context of developing countries (Gesing & Glass, 2019). Moreover, much of the existing research on employability has focused on those who studied in Western countries, with less attention paid to south-south mobility or the experiences of students who studied in non-Western contexts (Kim, 2016). This study addresses these gaps by exploring the experiences of international graduate student returnees from Southeast Asia and Latin America who studied in Taiwan, an Asian context that has transformed into an emerging destination in the international student market (Lin, 2020; Luo, 2017). Specifically, it seeks to answer two key research questions:
1. What are the employment outcomes of international graduate student returnees?
2. What challenges do international graduate student returnees encounter while navigating the labor market?
By focusing on international graduate returnees in diverse contexts, this study contributes to a more nuanced and inclusive understanding of how international education experiences translate across different cultural and economic settings.

Theoretical Frameworks
This study employs two complementary theoretical frameworks: positional conflict theory (Brown, 2000) and Bourdieu’s theory of capitals (Bourdieu, 1984). Through the positional conflict theory, we recognize the ‘duality of employability’ (Brown et al., 2003, p. 107) and highlight how educational credentials function as positional goods, which may confer advantages or disadvantages in different labor market contexts. Bourdieu’s theory of capitals offers an added layer of interpretation, highlighting how graduate returnees accumulate, convert, and leverage their international education experiences (forms of capital) to navigate their specific professional contexts and adapt their dispositions to their labor market contexts. Together, these theoretical frameworks allow us to question whether the acquisition of international credentials provides a sustainable competitive advantage or whether it simply leads to credential inflation without corresponding improvements in employment outcomes (Collins, 2002). It also allows us to capture the structural aspects of credential valuation and individual strategies employed by graduates, thereby providing comprehensive insights into the complex interplay between international education, local labor markets, and individual career trajectories.

Methods
The study employs a case study design focusing on the experiences of international students who completed an international master’s degree program at a university in Taiwan and then returned to their home countries for employment. The master’s degree program was established in 2013, and over 90 students from different countries have graduated from it. For this study, 22 participants were purposively selected from two main geographic regions—Latin America and Southeast Asia—to give a comparative perspective of graduate employability within the context of developing countries. Data was gathered through semi-structured online interviews conducted in June and July 2024. Data analysis followed a thematic approach (Braun & Clarke, 2006) informed by the theoretical frameworks. The rigor of the analysis was enhanced by iterative coding and constant comparisons between data, emerging themes, and theoretical concepts.

Findings
RQ1: The findings reveal a complex interplay between the capital acquired through international education and the structural realities of home country labor markets. Returnees consistently reported enhanced positional resources and gains in cultural, social, and symbolic capital through their international education experiences. Across both regions, an international degree was considered prestigious and functioned as a valuable positional good, often providing a competitive advantage. However, the conversion of positional resources and accumulated capital into tangible labor market advantages varied significantly across contexts, reflecting the contextual nature of capital valuation (Bourdieu, 1984) and international credentials. While some returnees reported access to higher-level positions and diverse career paths, others struggled to translate their international credentials into commensurate economic capital. Quite uniquely, having an international degree from a non-Western context, compared to a Western international degree, did not impact the positional advantage in both regions.
RQ2: Structural and market-based constraints and context-specific dynamics in home countries significantly impacted the ability of returnees to leverage their international education for positional advantage. In Southeast Asia, public sector employment often came with rigid salary structures and promotion pathways that limited the immediate economic returns on international education. Additionally, returnees faced significant challenges in aligning with and readjusting to local work cultures and expectations, particularly those in Latin America. In Southeast Asia, the high number of returnees competing for limited jobs was a major challenge. In both regions, finding positions that matched their qualifications and navigating complex and bureaucratic local hiring practices were significant challenges. In response to these challenges, returnees developed various strategies for optimizing their capital and enhancing their positional advantage through strategies such as continuous learning to acquire locally valued skills, strategic deployment of international experience in job applications and workplace interactions, and active networking to build social capital in the home country context.

Conclusion and significance
This study highlights the employment outcomes and challenges of international graduate student returnees from Southeast Asia and Latin America who studied in Taiwan. The results emphasize the duality of employability—skills and capabilities from an international education experience can enhance employability and provide positional advantages (absolute employability); however, these outcomes also depend on labor market conditions and individual capital (relative employability). The findings add to the literature on graduate employability and emphasize the complex relationship between international education credentials, career progression, and development. It challenges simplistic assumptions about the automatic benefits of studying abroad and highlights the limitations of international credentials as positional goods. In doing so, these results highlight the need for sending and receiving countries to cooperate in developing international education programs that align with local development goals and labor market needs.

Authors

• Amelio Salvador Quetzal, National Chung Cheng University

• Sheng-Ju Chan, National Chung Cheng University