The School to Work Transitions Failures and the NEETs

This paper investigates on the most significant aspects of the school to work transition that is the period from the end of education to the attainment of the first regular job. During this period, young people are usually in the NEET status that is Not in Employment, Education and Training. The length of this period and therefore the time experienced as NEETs depends on many factors, such as the individual characteristics and the aspects connected with the education system, Institutions and labour market. In order to better understand these dynamics, in this study we analyze young people by age and gender according to their professional status in a selection of European countries. Results highlight remarkable differences in the patterns concerning men and women, especially after the 24 years, and the structural nature of the NEET phenomenon in the Mediterranean countries of Italy and Spain.