From Education to Employment: Impact of International Business Graduates in Liberec region

Abstract

This paper examines selected aspects of the career trajectories of graduatesfrom the Bachelor's degree specialization in International Business (IB)in the Liberec region of the Czech Republic. The region is characterized bybelow-average GDP per capita and a lower proportion of tertiaryeducatedindividuals compared to the national average. The primaryobjective of the article is to assess the contribution of the study program inthe Liberec region in terms of regional brain drain and education–occupation mismatch. In the first part of the study, we investigate whetherthe share of tertiary-educated individuals has a positive impact on selectedmacroeconomic indicators in the region. In the second part, drawing ondata from an electronic questionnaire distributed among graduates, weanalyze their integration into the regional labor market and assess theextent of potential education–occupation mismatch. Based on correlationanalysis, we find a strong relationship between the proportion of tertiaryeducatedindividuals and key economic indicators in the Liberec region.These findings suggest a clear policy implication: regional authoritiesshould prioritize attracting a highly qualified workforce to foster economicgrowth. The survey results support this recommendation, revealing thatthe largest share of graduates remain employed in the Liberec region, withnearly half working in roles directly related to international business..