Post-Graduation Transitions of International Students in Taiwan: Barriers to Labour Market Integration

Mukhamad Zulianto; Irmadatus Sholekhah; Badrus Sholeh; Rofiq Noorman Haryadi; Sujadmi Sujadmi; Olivia Winda Ony Panjaitan

doi:10.25217/jf.v10i2.6210

Authors

Mukhamad Zulianto National Dong Hwa University, Taiwan
Irmadatus Sholekhah Universitas Jember, Indonesia
Badrus Sholeh Universitas Pamulang, Indonesia
Rofiq Noorman Haryadi Sekolah Tinggi Ekonomi Bisnis Syari’ah Bina Mandiri, Indonesia
Sujadmi Sujadmi Universitas Bangka Belitung, Indonesia
Olivia Winda Ony Panjaitan Universitas Palangka Raya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25217/jf.v10i2.6210

Keywords:

International Students, Labourmarket, Migration Policy, Transition

Abstract

Taiwan has emerged as a regional education hub, drawing international students particularly from Southeast and South Asiathrough proactive recruitment and policy tools, such as the New Southbound Policy. After graduation, many of these students face substantial barriers to integrating into Taiwan’s labor market. This study particularly targets barriers to employment that international graduates face after completing their degrees, focusing on the prevailing work governance structures and systemic frameworks. This qualitative study, based on 20 in-depth interviews and policy analysis. Findings reveal that entrenched bureaucratic hurdles, racialized labor hierarchies, and structural discrimination inhibit international graduates’ access to meaningful employment. The study calls for policy realignments that reframe international graduates as long-term socio-economic assets, not transient learners.

References

Bairwa, A. K., & Sharma, P. (2019). Inter-regional occupational disparities in Indian manufacturing sector with regards to socioeconomic labour attributes. Labour& Industry: A Journal of the Social and Economic Relations of Work, 29(4), 352–369. https://doi.org/10.1080/10301763.2019.1656513

Battaglia, L., Flynn, C. A., & McDermott, F. (2024). Transitioning to Professional Practice: Experiences of International Master of Social Work [MSW] Graduates from Australian Programs. Australian Social Work, 77(3), 422–434. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407X.2023.2240293

Blackmore, J., & Rahimi, M. (2019). How ‘best fit’ excludes international graduates from employment in Australia: A Bourdeusian perspective. Journal of Education and Work, 32(5), 436–448. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2019.1679729

Chan, A. K. W., & Chen, X. (2024). Study-to-work transitions of students-turned-migrants: ongoing struggles of mainland Chinese graduates in Hong Kong. Higher Education, 88(1), 243–258. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01114-9

Chen, T., Song, W., Song, J., Ren, Y., Dong, Y., Yang, J., & Zhang, S. (2022). Measuring Well-Being of Migrant Gig Workers: Exampled as Hangzhou City in China. Behavioral Sciences, 12(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs12100365

Cheng, T.-M., Ting, C.-Y., & Hou, H.-Y. (2023). Analyzing Differences and the Relationship Model between Learning Satisfaction and the Willingness of International Students: A University of Technology in Taiwan. Journal of Institutional Research South East Asia, 21(2), 83–104. Google

Chinchanachokchai, S., Pongsakornrungsilp, P., Pongsakornrungsilp, S., &Pusaksrikit, T. (2025). Enhancing Cultural Intelligence and Global Competency in Marketing Education: a Comparison Between Study Abroad and Host Country Students. Marketing Education Review, 35(1), 31–43. https://doi.org/10.1080/10528008.2024.2417096

Dai, K., & Pham, T. (2024). Graduate employability and international education: An exploration of foreign students’ experiences in China. Higher Education Research & Development, 43(6), 1227–1242. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2024.2325155

de Lange, T. (2020). COVID-19 Migration Policy Measures for International Students and Graduate Job Searchers: A Lost Round in the Battle for Brains. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 2. https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2020.594420

Ellis, E. (2022). Race and Neoliberalism in the Labour Market Integration of International Student Graduates in Canada. Journal of International Students, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v13i2.4038

Fang-Yu, L., & Jung-Cheng, C. (2020). Influence of southeast asia’s higher education development on taiwan’s talent exchange policy. Journal of Research in Education Sciences, 65(3), 29–54. https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202009_65(3).0002

Frain, J. (2025). Qualitative Research. In J. Frain (Ed.), ABC of Evidence‐Based Healthcare (1st ed., pp. 39–46). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781394219346.ch5

Gosling, M., & Yang, W. (2022). Introducing Internationalisation at Home Learning satisfaction under the Content and Language Integrated Learning approach. Learning and Teaching, 15(1), 46–66. https://doi.org/10.3167/latiss.2022.150104

Hou, A. Y. C., Hill, C., Hu, Z., & Lin, L. (2022). What is driving Taiwan government for policy change in higher education after the year of 2016–in search of egalitarianism or pursuit of academic excellence? Studies in Higher Education, 47(2), 338–351. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1744126

Huang, R.-T. (2023). A case study to explore the key factors that influence international students’ immigration intention in Taiwan: A revised model of goal-directed behaviour. International Migration, 61(3), 102–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.13022

Huang, W.-C. (2021). The Nexus Between Foreign Labor Policy and Human Trafficking in Taiwan. In Immigration Policy and Crisis in the Regional Context: Asian and European Experiences. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6823-1_4

Jackson, D., Lambert, C., Tofa, M., Bridgstock, R., & Sibson, R. (2025). Career resources and securing quality work: Graduate perspectives. Studies in Continuing Education, 47(2), 436–456. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037X.2024.2410182

Jamil, N. S. (2023). Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy in Southeast Asia and the ‘China Factor’: Deepening Regional Integration Amid New Reality. Asian Affairs, 54(2), 264–285. https://doi.org/10.1080/03068374.2023.2208939

Joshi, A., &Ziguras, C. J. (2024). International Higher Education and Post-Study Work Rights in Australia, Germany and Canada: Strengths and Vulnerabilities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 28(1), 52–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153231172016

Kwak, Y. K., & Wang, M. S. (2022). Exclusion or Inclusion: National Differential Regulations of Migrant Workers’ Employment, Social Protection, and Migrations Policies on Im/Mobilities in East Asia-Examples of South Korea and Taiwan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316270

Lai, Y.-C. (2019). Effect of Participation of Foreign Migrant Workers in Labour Market on Native Workers: Evidence Based on Change Noticed in College Premium in Taiwan ROC. Global Economic Review, 48(1), 88–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/1226508X.2019.1571429

Li, C.-H. (2020). School Performance of Children of Cross-Border Marriages: Effects of Within-Family Social Capital and Community Contextual Factors. Sociological Research Online, 25(4), 661–681. https://doi.org/10.1177/1360780420905847

Li, X. (2022). Chinese Students’ Resilience in Making Post-Graduation Plans Under the US-China Geopolitical Tensions. Journal of International Students, 13(2). https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v13i2.4503

Li, H., & Horta, H. (2024). Exploring the identity development of PhD graduates transitioning to non-researcher roles. Higher Education Quarterly, 78(2), 421–435. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12452

Lin, H.-M., Sung, Y.-H., & Wang, L.-C. (2020). Multidimensional meanings of studying abroad: International mobility experiences of taiwanese joint dual doctoral program students in belgium. Journal of Research in Education Sciences, 65(4), 65–104. https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202012_65(4).0003

Lin, H. M., & Sung, Y. H. (2020). Experiences of International Students from the New Southbound Policy Countries in Taiwan: Their Motivations and Negotiations of Cultural Differences. 教育科學研究期刊, 65(3). https://doi.org/10.6209/JORIES.202009_65(3).0004

Lin, W., & Chan, S.-J. (2024). Students as a Nexus of Cultural Diplomacy: Estimating the Outcomes of the International Higher Education Scholarship Program in Taiwan. Journal of Studies in International Education, 28(3), 420–439. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153231178133

Lo, W. Y. W., & Hou, A. Y.-C. (2020). A farewell to internationalisation? Striking a balance between global ambition and local needs in higher education in Taiwan. Higher Education, 80(3), 497–510. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-019-00495-0

Lu, W., & Everson Härkälä, T. (2024). International student experience of employment integration in Finland. Research in Comparative and International Education, 19(2), 133–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/17454999241238172

Mohammed, U. (2024). Caught in crises: Syrian refugees in Türkiye’s labor market. International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 20(2), 320–336. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-08-2023-0077

Mossop, L., &Lymn, J. (2021). Institutional approaches to engaging students in enhancing their experience. In Assessing and Enhancing Student Experience in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80889-1_4

Muthuswamy, V. V., & Varshika, G. (2023). Analysing the Influence of Cultural Distance and Language Barriers on Academic Performance among International Students in Higher Education Institutions. Journal of International Students, 13(3), 415–440. Google

Netz, N., & Cordua, F. (2021). Does studying abroad influence graduates’ wages?: A literature review. Journal of International Students, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i4.4008

Nguyen, T. N.-A., Cao, T. Q., & Pham, H.-H. (2020). Impact of the New Southbound Policies in International Students on Taiwan: An Exploratory Study from Vietnamese Oversea Students. In P. Le Ha & D. Ba Ngoc (Eds.), Higher Education in Market-Oriented Socialist Vietnam (pp. 227–249). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46912-2_12

Peng, M. Y.-P. (2019). Testing the Mediating Role of Student Learning Outcomes in the Relationship Among Students’ Social Capital, International Mindsets, and Employability. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 28(3), 229–237. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-00431-3

Peng, Y. (2020). From migrant student to migrant employee: Three models of the school-to-work transition of mainland Chinese in Hong Kong. Population, Space and Place, 26(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2283

Rich, T. S., Eliassen, I., Einhorn, M., Dahmer, A., & Chien, Y.-C. (2022). All Are Not Equal: Taiwanese Public Opinion on Southeast Asian Immigration. International Journal of Taiwan Studies, 20(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1163/24688800-20221240

Shrestha, T. (2024). Infrastructural casualties: educational intermediaries and casualization of Nepali student workforce in Japan. Applied Mobilities, 9(4), 277–300. https://doi.org/10.1080/23800127.2023.2294526

Singh, J. K. N., & Fan, S. X. (2021). International education and graduate employability: Australian Chinese graduates’ experiences. Journal of Education and Work, 34(5–6), 663–675. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2021.1965970

Song, J., & Yunus, H. M. (2024). A Preliminary Study on Current Status of Employment Guidance Work of International Students and Improving Strategies in S Province China. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3(7), 173–188. https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i7.4190

Svistunov, V., Konovalova, V., & Lobachev, V. (2022). Labor Market Change Trends Under Global Challenges: Problems and Prospects (pp. 555–562). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-8829-4_53

Tran, L. T., Rahimi, M., Tan, G., Dang, X. T., & Le, N. (2020). Post-study work for international graduates in Australia: Opportunity to enhance employability, get a return on investment or secure migration? Globalisation, Societies and Education, 18(5), 495–510. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2020.1789449

Tsai, P.-H., Chen, B.-Y., Chou, S.-Y., & Chang, L.-C. (2022). Technology Assisted Device for Bilingual Learning Environment in Higher Education in Taiwan. 5th IEEE Eurasian Conference on Educational Innovation 2022, ECEI 2022, 274–277. https://doi.org/10.1109/ECEI53102.2022.9829503

Tsou, T.-R. (2023). Children of new immigrants in Taiwan: educational outcomes in secondary education. SN Social Sciences, 3(12). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00785-6

Wang, C.-P. (2024). Analysis of International Education Ideals in The Context of Post-Globalization: Globalism vs Cosmopolitanism | 後全球化脈絡下國際教育理念析辨：全球主義 vs 世界主義. Contemporary Educational Research Quarterly, 32(4), 41–72. https://doi.org/10.6151/CERQ.202412_32(4).0002

Xu, S., Mansor, A. N., & Amat, S. (2025). Higher education strategies for enhancing employability of international students. Journal of International Students, 15(5), 117–138. https://doi.org/10.32674/mv48v134

Ying, Y., Mursitama, T. N., & Theresia. (2018). Collaboration Program between Industry and Academic for Improvement of Indonesia Human Development Index. Proceedings of the 2018 International Conference on Distance Education and Learning, 157–161. https://doi.org/10.1145/3231848.3231873