Having a job during the University and the employment outcomes after graduation. The Italian case in comparative perspective

Journal title SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO
Author/s Giampiero Passaretta, Moris Triventi
Publishing Year 2014 Issue 2014/136 Language Italian
Pages 18 P. 203-220 File size 208 KB
DOI 10.3280/SL2014-136011
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

The article examines the relationship between work experience during higher education and employment outcomes in four European countries: Italy, Spain, Germany and Norway. In the first part a theoretical framework clarifies the reason why in some institutional contexts work experience during the University constitutes a ‘competitive advantage’ for young graduates. The empirical analysis - based on the surveys Reflex and Cheers - examine the effects of work experience (which account both the duration and the consistency with respect to the course of study) on different employment outcomes after 4-5 years of the degree. The empirical results show that in Italy and Spain having a job during the University is associated with better employment outcomes after the period of study: any kind of work experience increases the probability of being employed and reduces the risk of unemployment, while only work experiences consistent with the course of studies reduce the risk of being overeducated. In Germany and Norway instead, having a job during the University has no substantial effects in terms of employment outcomes.

Keywords: Student employment, work experience, labour market transition, undergraduates’ employment, higher education

  1. Allmendinger J. (1989). Educational Systems and Labour Market Outcomes. European Sociological Review, 5, 3: 231-250.
  2. Argentin G. (2010). Lauree, competizione di mercato e riproduzione sociale. Caratteristiche, percorsi ed esiti occupazionali dei neolaureati italiani in un contesto in rapido mutamento. Tesi di dottorato, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca.
  3. Arnesen C.Å. (2000). Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Norway. European Journal of Education, 35, 2: 221-228.
  4. Arrow K.J. (1973). Higher Education as a Filter. Journal of Public Economics, 2: 193-216.
  5. Barone C. (2012). Le trappole della meritocrazia. Bologna: il Mulino.
  6. Barone C., Ortiz L. (2011). Overeducation among European University Graduates: A Comparative Analysis of its Incidence and the Importance of Higher Education Differentiation. Higher Education, 61: 325-337.
  7. Becker G.S. (1962). Investment in Human Capital: A Theoretic Analysis. Journal of Political Economy, 70, 5, Part 2: Investing in Human Beings: 9-49.
  8. Brunello G., Schlotter M. (2011). Non Cognitive Skills and Personality Traits: Labour Market Relevance and their Development in Education & Training Systems, IZA Discussion Paper Number 5743.
  9. Clark T., Sweet R., Gruber K.H., Lourtie P., Santiago P., Sohlman Å. (2009). Norway: OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education. Paris: OECD.
  10. Esping Andersen G. (2004). Social Fundation of Post-Industial Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Eurostat (1998). Enterprises in Europe, Data 1994-95, Fifth Report. Brussels: European Commission.
  11. Granovetter M. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
  12. Heckman J.J. (1979). Sample Selection Bias as a Specification Error. Econometrica, 47, 1: 153-161.
  13. Heckman J.J, Stixrud J., Urzua S. (2006). The Effects of Cognitive and Noncognitive Abilities on Labour Market Outcomes and Social Behaviour. Journal of Labor Economics, 24: 411-482.
  14. Kehm B.M. (1999). Higher Education in Germany. Developments, Problems, and Perspectives. Wittenberg & Bucharest: Institute for Higher Education Research & UNESCO European Center for Higher Education.
  15. Lin N. (1999). Social Networks and Status Attainment. Annual Review of Sociology, 25: 467-487.
  16. Martinelli A., Chiesi A.M. (2002). La società italiana. Roma-Bari: Laterza.
  17. Mincer J. (1958). Investment in Human Capital and Personal Income Distribution. Journal of Political Economy, 66: 282-302.
  18. Mood C. (2010). Logistic Regression: Why We Cannot Do What We Think We Can Do, and What We Can Do About It. European Sociological Review, 26, 1: 67-82.
  19. Mora J.G., Garcia-Montalvo J., Garcia-Aracil A. (2000). Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Spain. European Journal of Education, 35: 229-237.
  20. Moscati R., Regini M., Rostan M. (2010). Torri d’avorio in frantumi? Bologna: il Mulino.
  21. Müller W., Gangl M. (2003). Transition from Education to Work in Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  22. Müller W., Shavit Y. (1998). From School to Work: A Comparative Study of Educational Qualifications and Occupational Destinations. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  23. OECD (2012). Education at a Glancev Paris: OECD.
  24. Pagano P., Schivardi F. (2003). Firm Size, Distribution and Growth. Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 105, 2: 255-274.
  25. Prandi L. (2000). Trovare lavoro: la rilevanza dei contatti personali. Quaderni di Sociologia, 44, 23.
  26. Reyneri E. (2005). Sociologia del mercato del lavoro. Il mercato del lavoro tra famiglia e welfare. Bologna: il Mulino.
  27. Rostan M. (2006). Laureati italiani ed europei a confronto. Istruzione superiore e lavoro alle soglie di un periodo di riforme. Milano: Edizioni Universitarie di Lettere Economia Diritto.
  28. Santiago P., Brunner J.J., Haug G., Malo S., di Pietrogiacomo P. (2009). OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education: Spain. Paris: OECD.
  29. Scherer S. (2005). Patterns of Labour Market Entry. Long Wait or Career Instability? An Empirical Comparison of Italy, Great Britain and West Germany. European Sociological Review, 21, 5: 427-440.
  30. Spence M.A. (1973). Job Market Signalling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87: 355-374.
  31. Stiglitz J.E. (1975). The Theory of “Screening”, Education, and the Distribution of Income. American Economic Review, 65: 283-300. Triventi M. (2013). The Role of Higher Education Stratification in the Reproduction of Social Inequality in the Labour Market. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 36: 69-86.
  32. Triventi M. (2014). Does working during higher education affect students’ academic progression? Economics of Education Review, 41: 1-13.
  33. Triventi M., Trivellato P. (2008). Studio, lavoro e disuguaglianza nell’Università italiana. Stato e Mercato, 84(3): 505-537.
  34. van de Werfhorst H.G. (2011). Skills, Positional Good or Social Closure? The Role of Education Across Structural-Institutional Labour Market Settings. Journal of Education and Work, 24, 5: 521-548.
  35. Wolbers M.H.J. (2007). Patterns of Labour Market Entry: A comparative Perspective on School-to-Work Transitions in 11 European Countries. Acta sociologica, 50, 3: 189-210.

Giampiero Passaretta, Moris Triventi, Il lavoro durante gli studi universitari e gli esiti occupazionali dopo la laurea. Il caso italiano in prospettiva comparata in "SOCIOLOGIA DEL LAVORO " 136/2014, pp 203-220, DOI: 10.3280/SL2014-136011