Patterns of Labour Market Entry : A Comparative Perspective on School-to-Work Transitions in 11 European Countries

Youth labour market integration differs considerably across European countries. There are marked cross-national differences not only in terms of youth unemployment, but also in terms of the quality of the jobs in which young people are employed. This article explains cross-national patterns of labour market entry among school-leavers in 11 European countries. It is hypothesized that national differences in employment protection legislation and the vocational specificity of the education system, in addition to the structural effect of macro-economic conditions, attribute to the observed cross-national variation in youth labour market integration. On the basis of the European Union LFS 2000 ad hoc module on school-to-work transitions, the speed, the quality and the stability of the labour market entry process are analysed. The results indicate that national institutional differences regarding employment protection legislation and the vocational specificity of the education system do indeed affect cross-national differences in labour market entry patterns. However, the impact of both institutional features varies considerably by level of education.