The influence of hukou precarization on employers’ recruitment of Chinese international student returnees in Shanghai

The study of international student mobility (ISM) has predominantly emphasised the impact of overseas-acquired capital on the employment of international students, while overlooking how internal migration barriers and social institutions in ISM-sending countries influence employers’ recruitment of international graduates. This gap limits a comprehensive understanding of the employment experiences of student returnees. This article draws on 70 semi-structured interviews with student returnees and human resource staff to examine how China’s household registration system (hukou) impacts employers’ recruitment of Chinese student returnees in Shanghai. Leveraging the concepts of precarisation and precarity, this article finds that the reformed hukou system in Shanghai creates precarity for student returnees. This means that employers hesitate to hire them, and some are exposed to exploitation. These findings are significant as they incorporate the perspective of ISM-sending countries and internal migration into the analysis of international students’ employment, which broadens the research scope of ISM studies.