Major-to-employment mismatch in social work: A values-based framework explaining job-search decisions among Chinese graduates in Shanghai, China

Abstract

A total of 31 Bachelor of Social Work Chinese graduates were interviewed in college exit interviews in Shanghai about their job search processes. Their responses generated an 87.1 percent major-to-employment mismatch rate between their study major and the postgraduation employment type. Five findings on employment decisions emerged, namely, causation, contextual factors, intervening conditions, job-seeking outcomes, and a positive-but-negative feeling about job searches. This mismatch phenomenon leads to the development of a values-based framework to explain how a combination of professional values and materialistic rewards can influence postgraduation employment decisions. It is connected to the graduates’ motivation to apply social work values to match the employment they seek.