Employment Opportunities and Barriers on the Russian and German Labor Market for International Graduates with Domestic Degrees

Abstract

Assuming that employment prospects in the country of education represent a pull factor for international students to enroll in higher education programs abroad and a selling proposition for higher education institutions campaigning for international students, this study aims at investigating the validity of these prospects. Using a qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with recruiters of 12 companies in Germany and Russia. A content analysis was applied to identify and compare employment opportunities and barriers for international graduates with domestic degrees at individual, organizational, and institutional levels. Findings include that country-specific human capital components are highly valued by employers, that the organization's stage of internationalization determines the valuation of human capital components as well as the availability of customized recruiting practices, and that the institutional framework-particularly the law on labor migration-influences employers' receptivity for international graduates as well as their international staffing strategies in general. Findings are interpreted on the background of pertinent theoretical perspectives. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations given for international students, higher education institutions, employers, and policy-makers.

Underemploying highly skilled migrants: An organizational logic protecting corporate ‘normality’

“…Almeida et al, 2015;Carlsson and Rooth, 2007;Fernando et al, 2016), or the international orientation of the organization (e.g. Makkonen, 2017;Shchegolev et al, 2016). In these studies, similar to our case, local organizations associate migrants with factors such as a lower local human capital (Crowley-Henry and Al Ariss, 2018), thereby allowing migrants' perceived lack of knowledge about local practices and language to be linked to inefficient work habits (Makkonen, 2017).…”

“…Large organizations have more resources for screening candidates (see Almeida et al, 2015;Lundborg and Skedinger, 2016) and seem to be less concerned about migrants fitting the existing pool of employees or whether they will meet clients' expectations (Fernando et al, 2016;Lundborg and Skedinger, 2016). The international orientation of organizations also appears to matter in recognizing the benefits of hiring skilled migrants (Makkonen, 2017;Shchegolev et al, 2016).…”

Exploring key themes and trends in international student mobility research —A systematic literature review

“…Li (2020), and Shumilova and Cai (2016) argued that Finnish employers must adapt to the needs of workers, such as operating in English, to remain competitive in the global market for highly skilled workers, as workers may leave the country if opportunities are not available. Shchegolev et al (2016) found that German companies have implemented mentoring and international trainee programmes to support international graduates and strategically recruit them. Coffey et al (2018) report that Japanese investors have recognised the necessity of providing employment visas to Chinese students studying in Japan to facilitate their work with Chinese businesses.…”