Underpinned by the fact that the globalization process and the subsequent increased level of market uncertainty have paved the way for employment flexibility in modern societies, this book examines the labor market chances of young adults in the US and in ten European societies over the past three decades. As young adults represent a very vulnerable labor market group, flexible and insecure employment tends to be pronounced especially at labor market entry. The contributors therefore explore which groups of young adults are especially affected by increasing employment insecurities.

'. . . the volume is successful in reaching an always difficult equilibrium between scientific soundness, on the one hand, and fluency, on the other hand. . . the book is a highly enjoyable and engaging read also for a general audience interested in understanding the new dimensions of what has become a persistent affliction of many households in advanced economies.' - Education Economics

This book examines the work experiences of twenty-five young men and women in their first jobs following high school. The case studies profiled here describe in detail the process of young workers becoming established in our society. The workplaces in which Kathryn M. Borman and her colleagues spent full shifts once a month for over a year were the locales for young workers’ first “real” jobs—jobs they held for more than six months and viewed as a means of entree to adult responsibilities. This study is one of the first to provide an intimate picture of the daily work lives of young factory workers, bank clerks, health spa employees and others who hold jobs in the youth labor market. How jobs provide opportunities for some and hold little hope for advancement for most is vividly described. How employers can improve working conditions for their young employees—especially young women—is clearly apparent in this analysis of the workplace as a “democratic community.” Sociologists and others in the fields of education, labor market economics, women's studies, and the anthropology of work will find this volume important reading.

Young adults in the United States have experienced higher rates of unemployment and lower rates of labor force participation than the general population for at least two decades. The Great Recession exacerbated this phenomenon. Despite a substantial labor market recovery from 2009 through 2014, vulnerable populations--including the nation's young adults--continue to experience higher rates of unemployment. Meanwhile, changes in labor market conditions, including globalization and automation, have reduced the availability of well-paid, secure jobs for less-educated persons, particularly those jobs that provide opportunity for advancement. Furthermore, data suggest that young workers entering the labor market are affected by a long-running increase in the use of "contingent" work arrangements, characterized by contracted, part-time, temporary, and seasonal work. This book summarizes insights from the Survey of Young Workers and related research in the field; and it frames policy and research issues for future consideration by the Federal Reserve Board and others interested in young workers.

Since the economic and financial crisis of 2008, the proportion of unemployed young people has exceeded any other group of unemployed adults. This phenomenon marks the emergence of a laborscape. This concept recognizes that, although youth unemployment is not consistent across the world, it is a coherent problem in the global political economy. This book examines this crisis of youth unemployment, drawing on international case studies. It is organized around four key dimensions of the crisis: precarity, flexibility, migration, and policy responses. With contributions from leading experts in the field, the chapters offer a dynamic portrait of unemployment and how this is being challenged through new modes of resistance. This book provides cross-national comparisons, both ethnographic and quantitative, to explore the contours of this laborscape on the global, national, and local scales. Throughout these varied case studies is a common narrative from young workers, families, students, volunteers, and activists facing a new and growing problem. This book will be an imperative resource for students and researchers looking at the sociology of globalization, global political economy, labor markets, and economic geography.

This book provides an understanding of the processes in which unions engage with young people, and views and opinions young people hold relating to collective representation. It features a selection of specific national cases of high relevance to contemporary debates of precariousness, trade union revitalization strategies and austerity policies.

Literature survey on employment and unemployment of young workers in the USA - covers labour demand of teenage labour, cyclical unemployment, structural unemployment, the distribution of young workers (incl. The young woman worker) in the occupational structure, wages flexibility, educational level, the problem of dropouts, work motivation, employment opportunities (incl. For Black and other non-white youth), etc. Statistical tables.