Structural Challenges and Their Impact on Graduate Employability: Evidence From Shangrao Normal University

Graduate employability has become an important concern in higher education as university expansion has coincided with labour-market competition, industrial restructuring, regional inequality, and changing employer expectations. This study examined how university-related factors, individual resources and agency, and structural challenges are associated with perceived graduate employability and graduate career outcomes among graduates of Shangrao Normal University, a regional institution in Jiangxi Province, China. It also examined the mediating role of perceived graduate employability in the relationships between these domains and graduate career outcomes. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and non-experimental design was adopted. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from 400 eligible respondents drawn from the university’s 2019–2023 graduate cohorts. The study measured university-related preparation, individual resources and agency, structural conditions, perceived employability, and career outcomes, with the relationships analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings showed very limited explanatory power for perceived graduate employability and graduate career outcomes, suggesting that broad and uniform linear relationships may not adequately capture graduate employment experiences in this regional context. The findings highlight the need to consider how graduate resources interact with behavioural, institutional, occupational, and regional conditions when examining the conversion of higher education into accessible and suitable career opportunities.