When sojourners return: Employment opportunities and challenges facing high-skilled Chinese returnees

Abstract

Focusing on the increasingly large numbers of Chinese students undertaking postgraduate programs overseas, this paper examines how international higher education shapes their subsequent career development in China. The specific focus is on their employment status, the impact of Australian higher education, and the challenges they experience upon returning home. A leading Australian university was chosen as the case study, and a mixed research method was adopted. By analyzing questionnaire and interview data, the paper argues that holding an international qualification is no longer adequate for employment success in China’s competitive labor market; rather, different forms of intellectual capital need to be consolidated and utilized. Unlike the previous generation of returnees who gained prestigious positions and made changes to China’s development immediately upon their return, the research finds that the current generation of sojourners faces a different and more complex set of opportunities and challenges. Although the majority of such graduates still retain an advantage in China’s crowded graduate labor market, the context is much more competitive.