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Paper short abstract

This study examines the role of education acquired in Japan in facilitating economic integration among migrants. The study of international migration has addressed the issues of international transferability of skills and educational qualifications acquired abroad over several decades.

Paper long abstract

This study examines the role of education acquired in Japan in facilitating economic integration among migrants. The study of international migration has addressed the issues of international transferability of skills and educational qualifications acquired abroad over several decades. Previous literature has demonstrated the economic disadvantages of educational degrees acquired abroad among migrant workers in destination countries. However, recent research sheds light on how a field of study, regardless of their place of education, can mitigate the economic disadvantages of migrants as compared with natives because recent technological development boosted the value of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) knowledge and skills across the globe. This study focuses on migrant workers in Japan. The significance of this study lies in the institutional settings of the Japanese labour market that put emphasis on firm-specific skills. Given this point, the STEM degree migrants obtained in colleges or post-graduate schools may not help migrants in Japan to attain their parity with natives. Conversely, employers may treat migrant workers with the STEM skills in a different manner as compared with natives who were employed as the core administrative workers in large organizations in Japan. Employers may assign specific jobs to migrants with this expertise and such migrants may earn as much as the natives with similar educational degrees. Hence, this study addresses the issues of how the Japanese labour market has changed the employment of migrant workers and how the intersection between field of study and place of education is associated with economic integration of migrants in Japan. We use the data derived from the survey of social stratification and mobility implemented in 2025, because this survey focuses on both migrants and natives in Japan.