School-to-work transitions in Europe: speed of convergence to permanent employment

In a context of economic globalization and increased competition, European countries are increasingly concerned about the consequences of non-enrolment, temporarily or permanently, in the labour market of a growing number of young people, and about the difficulties that university graduates face in finding suitable jobs. In many countries, the transition from school to work represents a central point in the lives of individuals and a key policy topic. In Romania, as in most of Europe, increasing the education period has become a long-term phenomenon. In recent decades, rising unemployment and increasing global competition have emphasized the need to improve the general level of education of the labour force. This paper presents, using the speed of transition of youth from school to work, a brief analysis of the youth labour market in the EU-27, and of the dynamics of the European labour market mobility. Also, a comparative analysis in the European context of the employment rate of young people in the full-time or part-time system, the distribution by sex and age groups of youth partial employment, and youth employment rate by activities of the national economy is presented for Romania.