Abstract
Over the last decades, there has been increasing interest in the topic of international student mobility (ISM). However, there is surprisingly little analysis of the ways in which different characteristics and types of short-term ISM or the importance of host education systems and labour markets may affect early career outcomes of formerly mobile graduates. Therefore, in this study we explore, first, the relationship between participation in ISM at the Bachelor and Master level and graduates’ wages and the duration of education-to-work transitions. Second, we investigate variations in ISM labour market outcomes according to the type of mobility: study, internships, or combinations of both. Third, we examine the relationship between labour market outcomes of formerly mobile students and the country of destination’s position in higher education international prestige hierarchies and labour market competitiveness. We use the Dutch National Alumni Survey 2015, a representative survey of higher education graduates in the Netherlands, conducted 1.5 years after graduation. Before controlling for selection into ISM, the results suggest the existence of labour market returns to ISM and that the heterogeneity of ISM experiences matters as labour market outcomes vary according to the level of study, the type of mobility, and the positioning of the country of destination in international prestige hierarchies. However, after controlling for selection into ISM through propensity score matching, the differences in early career outcomes between formerly mobile and non-mobile graduates disappear, suggesting that they cannot be causally attributed to their ISM experience. We explain these results with reference to the characteristics of the Dutch education system and labour market, where restricted possibilities for upward vertical mobility limit returns to ISM in the local labour market.
Highlights
In recent decades, higher education institutions have significantly increased their investment in the preparation of students for the labour market
The results show a statistically significant difference in monthly salaries between non-mobile graduates and
To the finding on monthly salaries, the difference is statistically significant for the whole sample and graduates who participated in international student mobility (ISM) during their Master degree but not for graduates that participated in ISM during their Bachelor degree
Summary
Higher education institutions have significantly increased their investment in the preparation of students for the labour market. In line with this development, empirical evidence on the employment outcomes of international student mobility (ISM) has increased over the last decade Even international statistics on ISM rarely make a distinction between mobility at Bachelor’s and Master’s level (Kelo et al 2006). This is unfortunate as it cannot be assumed that the returns to ISM are constant across educational levels
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