Exploring the impact of family financial support withdrawal on graduates’ school-to-work transition

Purpose – This study explored the impact of family financial support withdrawal on graduates’ transition into the labour market in an emerging economy. Also, it explored the coping strategies employed by these graduates to navigate financial hardships and emotional stress resulting from family financial support withdrawal during this critical period of their career development. Design/methodology/approach – We collected qualitative data from 28 graduates (currently employees of firms) who shared insightful experiences of family financial support withdrawal and the coping strategies they applied to navigate the challenges and obtain employment. Findings – We found that contextual factors such as economic hardship, cultural or societal norms, perceptions of capability and parental retirement or ageing contribute significantly to graduates experiencing family financial support withdrawal. The withdrawal of financial support triggered negative emotional responses in graduates, including anxiety, depression and frustration, encouraging entrepreneurial adaptation as a means of generating income to finance school-to-work transition processes. Engaging in entrepreneurship helped mitigate the effects of family financial support withdrawal and equipped graduates with valuable professional skills, highly sought after by employers. Originality/value – By exploring entrepreneurship’s dual role as a coping strategy for overcoming financial constraints arising from family financial support withdrawal and a pathway for professional skills development valued by employers, we contribute to the literature on school-to-work transition in an underdeveloped context.