Career Pathways in the Global Labour Market: Non‐European Master's Graduates in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom
2026-09-07
This paper examines the career pathways of international STEM and business master's alumni who graduated in Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom, based on 28 in‐depth interviews with international master's graduates from India, China, and Iran. The findings indicate that the career pathways and labour market destinations of non‐European master's graduates are significantly influenced by the contextual conditions present in both home and host countries. In contrast to the clear trend in Germany and Italy towards the host labour market or other Western‐oriented markets, the data from the United Kingdom indicates that contextual conditions resulted in either a successful transition to the host labour market or a return to the home country. The pursuit of career pathways is also significantly influenced by conditions prevailing in the home country. However, the findings of this study further indicate that these effects are subject to variation depending on the contextual conditions of the respective host country.