Predictors of skilled migrant career success: The influence of career capital, agency, and discrimination

Abstract

Globalisation and global skills shortages have led to an increased dependence on skilled migrants, and access to information and geographic locations has led to the subsequent increase in skilled migrant mobility. However, although considered to be an important source of value for economies and organisations, skilled migrants experience unfavourable career outcomes upon migration. The focus of this study was on the career outcomes of skilled migrants in South Africa and how they are influenced by the discrimination they face, their career capital and the strategies they adopt to build their career capital. A cross-sectional quantitative study that made use of a survey questionnaire to collect data on career success, career capital, skilled migrant challenges (discrimination), and strategies to build career capital (agency) was conducted with 112 respondents. Responses were analysed using statistical techniques which tested for relationships between the predictor variables (career capital, discrimination and strategies to build career capital (agency)) and the dependent variable (career success). The study found that there is a significant inverse relationship between skilled migrant challenges and career success, and a significant relationship between career capital and career success. However, there is no significant relationship between adoption of strategies to build career capital and career success. While skilled migrant challenges and career capital influence career success, agency has no influence on their career success. Although limitations were identified, the study contributes to skilled migrant career and career capital literature, taking the influence of context (challenges) and agency into consideration.