Trajectories of insecurity: Young adults' employment entry, health and well-being

an article by Katharina Klug and Sonja Drobnič (University of Bremen, Germany) and Hilke Brockmann (European University Institute, Florence, Italy) Journal of Vocational Behavior Volume 115 (December 2019)

Highlights

• Five distinct trajectories of labor market entry are identified for young adults.
• Low and high education, and migration background predict less secure trajectories.
• Men experience less secure trajectories, but parenthood increases risk for women.
• Cumulative employment insecurity predicts declining health and life satisfaction.

Abstract

Young adults in the transition from education to employment are vulnerable to employment insecurity.

We explore trajectories of employment insecurity over six years after leaving education, and investigate their associations with sociodemographic predictors, self-reported health and life satisfaction.

Based on a sample of 2,752 education leavers from a representative longitudinal dataset in Germany, we identify five distinct trajectories via latent class growth analysis:

1. ‘smooth transition’ (43%) signifies a quick entrance into permanent employment;
2. ‘inhibited transition’ (23%) comprises repeated temporary employment;
3. ‘stepping stone’ (21%) indicates a transition from temporary to permanent employment;
4. ‘long-term NEET’ (not in education, employment or training, 10%) describes persistent exclusion; and
5. ‘dropout’ (3%) captures transitions from permanent employment to NEET status and/or temporary employment. 

Low education and migration background are associated with long-term NEET status.

Both low education and high education are associated with inhibited transitions.

Young women face fewer difficulties after leaving education than men, but parenthood increases women's likelihood of insecure trajectories.

Long-term NEET status and inhibited transitions are associated with persistently lower health and life satisfaction.

We find deteriorating health among long-term NEETs and the stepping stone trajectory; and deteriorating life satisfaction for long-term NEETs, the inhibited transition and dropouts.

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Career transitions and career success in the ‘new’ career era

an article by Katharina Chudzikowski (Interdisciplinary Group for Management and Organizational Behavior, Vienna, Austria) published in Journal of Vocational Behavior Volume 81 Issue 2 (October 2012)

Abstract

The ‘new’ career, most notably the boundaryless career, is associated with high career mobility, which is in turn associated with employability and career success of individuals.

The current study examined how frequency, form (organisational, horizontal or vertical) and impact (objective career success) of career transitions have changed across two cohorts of Austrian business graduates (1970 and 1990) throughout the first 15 years of their careers (n = 291).

Data for the study were collected by way of standardised questionnaires; participants’ career transitions (n = 807) were plotted based on curriculum-vitae type lists of their successive jobs. This research examined two assumptions: (1) that careers have become more turbulent and complex and (2) that this is generally a positive evolution for individuals.

Results indicate that overly dramatic claims about the ‘death’ of the traditional-organisational career need to be reconsidered.

Highlights

► This study examined frequency, form and impact of career transitions in two cohorts.
► This research examined if careers have become more turbulent and complex.
► It examined if the ‘new’ career is generally a positive evolution for individuals.
► Career transitions in the ‘new’ career era showed less wage increase.
► Dramatic claims about the ‘death’ of the traditional career need to be reconsidered.

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