Assessing Career Trajectories: Comparative Analysis of Career Outcomes of International and US-born College Graduates in the US Labor Market

Abstract

Globalization has produced disjunctive flows and new global cultural configurations, heralding an era of unprecedented connectivity and diversity. International college graduates have become an essential element of service- and technology-oriented economies such as the US, covering labor gaps and keeping wages stabilized. This research analyzes the confluence of identities among foreign-born college graduates in the context of their career outcomes in comparison to US-born college graduates, accounting for their intersectional identity characteristics. Using data from the 2021 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG), this study aims to identify intersectional and labor market factors that influence career outcomes such as salary, relevance of the job to one's highest degree (hereafter termed major-job match), and job satisfaction among international and US-born graduates in the US labor market. By addressing this research questions and hypotheses, this dissertation aims to better understand international college graduate workers' career trajectories in the US labor market and foster inclusive and equitable career opportunities for an increasingly diverse cohort of graduates in the U.S. labor market.