International graduates in Sweden. The role of high-tech sectors, analytical knowledge and cultural distance

This paper analyzes the career paths of international students in Sweden after graduation. By matching individual data on international graduates with information about their employers, we analyse the sectors in which they began their careers in Sweden after graduation between 2003 and 2014. We propose that international graduates find better job opportunities in firms operating in sectors that require a higher level of analytical knowledge and in expanding sectors with a higher demand for skilled workers. Our findings indicate that international graduates are more likely than Swedish graduates to work in high-tech sectors, both in manufacturing and services, as well as in expanding low-knowledge-intensity service sectors. These findings apply mainly to international graduates from more culturally distant foreign countries.