The Education Migration Trade Off: Why Balinese Youth Prefer Overseas Employment Over University Study

Abstract

The choice between continuing university education and working abroad is increasingly important among young people in Indonesia, particularly in Bali. This study examines why young Balinese people prefer working abroad to university education, considering the expected rewards of university education, the burden of education costs, domestic job opportunities, the attractiveness of overseas employment, migration aspirations, family migration experiences, social networks, family economic pressures, and international opportunities. The research method is a mixed sequential exploratory approach. The quantitative phase surveyed 450 young respondents in Bali, consisting of 350 men and 100 women. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, binary logistic regression, gender moderation, and robustness tests, followed by thematic analysis of interviews with selected respondents. Illustrative findings indicate that 57.8% chose working abroad and 42.2% chose university education. The attractiveness of overseas employment was the strongest positive predictor (β = 0.86; OR = 2.36; p < 0.001), followed by migration aspirations, the burden of education costs, and family economic pressures. Conversely, expected rewards from university education and domestic employment opportunities are negatively associated with overseas employment preferences. Family migration experiences, social networks, and international opportunities also reinforce migration-oriented preferences. This study shows that university education and overseas employment are perceived as competing pathways for human capital investment and socioeconomic mobility among Balinese youth.