COVID-19 crisis and challenges for graduate employment in Taiwan, Mainland China and East Asia: a critical review of skills preparing students for uncertain futures

ABSTRACT

Graduate employment and unemployment or underemployment are becoming increasingly important issues confronting not only global higher education research but also social and political debates in contemporary societies. In addition to the rapid social and economic changes resulting from the exponential technologies, the outbreak of the COVID-19pandemic has further intensified unemployment resulted from the serious global economic downturn. As the leading article for the present Special Issue examining the complex issues of graduate employment before the COVID-19 crisis,this article reviews some key issues related to youth transition from education to work, specifically addressing graduate employment issues confronting the societies in Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other East Asian societies. To prepare students to be adaptive to rapid social and economic changes generated from the unprecedented global COVID-19 crisis, higher education institutions must search for a more flexible approach to prepare them to manage uncertain futures. More research should be conducted to better understand not only graduate employment but also broader issues concerning university governance in the post-COVID-19 era.

KEYWORDS:

• Graduate employment
• Greater China
• COVID-19 pandemic
• Employable skills
• Higher education

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ka Ho Mok

Ka Ho Mok is the Vice-President and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Comparative Policy of Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He is also the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and the Co-Director of the Institute of Policy Studies at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. Prof. Mok has worked creatively across the academic worlds of sociology, political science, and public and social policy while building up his wide knowledge of China and the region.

Weiyan Xiong

Weiyan Xiong is a Research Assistant Professor at Lingnan University, Hong Kong. He is also serving as the Director of the MA Program in International Higher Education and Management (IHEM). Dr. Xiong’s research interests include comparative and international education, indigenous education, liberal arts education, and faculty professional development.

Huiyuan Ye

Huiyuan Ye is a Research Fellow of Undergraduate Curricular Affairs and Faculty Development at Duke Kunshan University. Dr. Ye is an experienced researcher of higher education and specializes in the topics of comparative and international education, workforce development, and liberal arts education.