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Labour Market Experiences and the Formation of Settlement Intentions among Former International Students

  • The Journal of Multicultural Society
  • 2026, 19(3), pp.207~250
  • DOI : 10.14431/jms.2026.10.19.3.207
  • Publisher : Research Institute of Asian Women
  • Research Area : Social Science > Social Science in general
  • Received : July 30, 2026
  • Accepted : September 28, 2026
  • Published : October 30, 2026

Hyunae Rho 1,  Gyuchan Kim 2,  Miyang Jun 1

1연세대학교
2강원대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study qualitatively examines the job-search and post-employment experiences of former international students living in a non-metropolitan area of South Korea, focusing on how their intentions to remain in or leave the country are formed. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 12 participants in City A, it analyses structural constraints and individual responses through the concept of constrained agency. The findings show that participants faced mismatches between their fields of study and available employment, restrictive visa requirements, and language barriers during the job-search process, followed by continued constraints such as employment insecurity, inadequate remuneration, and limited career development opportunities. Rather than simply adapting to these conditions, participants reinterpreted their circumstances in relation to their life-course situations and family and community ties, either reinforcing their intentions to remain in Korea or considering onward migration in pursuit of greater employment stability. The study highlights the settlement of former international students as a dynamic process at the intersection of education, work, and migration, and points to the need for settlement support that extends beyond employment entry to the broader conditions of post-employment life.

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