Student career preparation in the regional economic integration – ASEAN economic community

Globalization and regionalization have influenced Vietnam labor market more robustly, especially since the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015. Hence, preparing for students for a dynamic workforce becomes critical. This paper examines the attributes of student career preparation and their relationships with the willingness to work in ASEAN. We used the Structural Equation Model to test the research model with the data collection of 317 university students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The empirical result indicated that regional economic integration awareness and academic experiences have remarkably influenced on career preparation, which also had a strong impact on the willingness of students to accept working overseas. Moreover, the students’ willingness to accept the international job was affected by the awareness of linguistic skills influence and cultural awareness. Specifically, Vietnamese students have been reluctant to work in ASEAN after graduation despite the influence of globalization and regionalization. Besides, we also conducted 10 in-depth interviews to highlight our quantitative results and achieve a further understanding of the hidden causes. Thus, the paper discussed critical recommendations to improve student career preparation and confidence.