Labour Market entry in context.Institutions, social inequalities and the early occupational Careers in the Europe

The thesis examines the process of transition from education to employment in comparative perspective. More specifically, it investigates how market and educational institutions influence the school-to-work transition processes in the European context. A comparative perspective is adopted, in order to disentangle theoretically – by means of examples – and parametrically – by means of statistical modelling – the institutional influence on the first stages of occupational careers of young school leavers. In order to provide a comprehensive view of the school-to-work transition, the thesis focuses on both the process of entry into the first employment and the occupational progression beyond that point, with a particular emphasis on the emergence of social inequalities in the early career stages.