Spatial Mobility Patterns of Overseas Graduates in Australia

Abstract

In light of pronounced and persistent labour and skill shortages in non-metropolitan areas, Australia has sought to develop and maintain a comprehensive immigration policy framework and development policies to attract and retain overseas graduates from local Higher Education Institutions. While prior work has shed light on the employment outcomes and the individual characteristics that promote settlement outside major cities, less is known about the post-graduation migration patterns and redistribution of overseas graduates following graduation. Drawing on data from the Australian Graduate Survey, this chapter explores the key spatial patterns and redistribution of overseas graduates in Australia. The results highlight the propensity of overseas graduates to cluster in the metropolitan areas of New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland for employment following graduation. Overseas graduates are more likely to study in regional areas than their domestic counterparts, but are also more likely to move to major metropolitan areas after graduation. Overseas graduates are drawn to major metropolitan regions by social and economic ties, particularly to migrant communities within major cities. The clear preference of overseas graduates for metropolitan areas highlights that existing rural development policies have a limited demonstrated capacity to redirect overseas graduates to work in non-metropolitan areas and suggests a need for future policies to consider ways in which particular factors – such as a sense of attachment from previous study and living experience in a non-metropolitan locale – affect desired migratory outcomes.