Transnational career advantages: earnings growth of Japanese self-initiated expatriates

These findings reveal that transnational careers economically benefit Japanese middle-class workers, challenging conventional views of upward mobility occurring primarily within domestic labor markets. Despite theoretical and empirical issues to be addressed in the future studies, the research contributes to understanding middle-class migration from high-income countries within Asia's rapidly growing economic centers, suggesting that international mobility can serve as an alternative pathway for career advancement when domestic opportunities are limited.