The competence-wage paradox among Islamic education management graduates: evidence from an Indonesian graduate cohort

Purpose This study examines the association between graduates' retrospective assessments of an experiential learning curriculum and their self-reported perceived competitiveness, while separately describing employment relevance and monthly income. The study treats the competence-wage paradox as a descriptive and interpretive pattern rather than an empirically tested wage relationship. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative, cross-sectional ex post facto design was employed. Survey data from 55 graduates of an Islamic education management programme were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and descriptive statistics. PLS-SEM was used to assess the association between the experiential learning curriculum and perceived graduate competitiveness, while employment and income were analysed descriptively. Findings Graduates' assessments of the experiential learning curriculum were positively associated with their self-reported perceived competitiveness. Most respondents reported being employed and working in education-related fields, while 63.6% reported monthly income below IDR 1,000,000. The coexistence of perceived competitiveness, job relevance, and comparatively low reported income is described as a context-specific competence-wage paradox. This pattern is interpretive and descriptive; because income was not included in the structural model, the study does not test whether competitiveness affects earnings. Originality/value This study extends graduate employability research by distinguishing perceived competitiveness and employment relevance from reported income in a context-specific cohort of Islamic education management graduates. It also demonstrates the importance of assessing graduate outcomes beyond employment rates by considering job relevance and income.