Employability is an increasing issue for Chinese university graduates. While sports participation fosters personal development, there is a limited understanding of the psychological and social mechanisms by which organized sports influence perceived graduates’ employment-readiness. The study used stratified random sampling to collect data from various regions across China in a cross-sectional study. A total of 1,019 graduates from STEM, business, and social science fields completed standardized questionnaires evaluating their participation in sports, resilience, social capital, soft skills, and self-reported employment outcomes. The data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling to examine direct, mediated, and moderated relationships. Perceived graduate employability showed a positive relationship with their participation in organized sports, as assessed by intensity/duration, teamwork, and leadership roles. Sports experiences indirectly influence employability through the mediation of psychological resilience and soft skills. Graduates with stronger professional networks derived more benefits from sports engagement, as career-related social capital alleviated the repercussions. Bootstrapping analyses confirmed that the indirect pathways were statistically significant. The findings indicate that Chinese graduates who engage in organized sports, particularly those supported by career-oriented networks, may possess a competitive edge in the labour market. While the study design precludes causal inference, the data suggest that structured sports activities within higher education may yield beneficial outcomes.
Liu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.