UNEMPLOYMENT AND MARGINALIZATION AMONG YOUNG-PEOPLE

The paper presents results from a longitudinal study of unemployment among young people. A representative sample of nearly 2000 young people participated in a survey in 1985. The same group was followed up again in 1987 and in 1989. Of the sample, 65% from 1985 participated in all three studies. The paper focuses on how young people who are unemployed long-term as teenagers cope with employment and education later on. The results showed that those who previously had experienced long-term unemployment did not return for further education. Nearly 50% of them applied for education but did not have any possibility of getting the kind of education they wanted. Of young women previously unemployed, 18% chose to stay at home with children, but 50% of them returned to work within a 2-year period. Working conditions, education, and previous unemployment explained who would become unemployed again later on. Mental health problems were, however, the most significant factor and more important than previous long-term unemployment in itself. The results showed that young people previously unemployed long-term did not become marginalized, which would have implied continuous unemployment later on. Instead they went in and out of employment depending on periods of economic recession in the labour market.