This report provides some basic, descriptive statistical information on the educational, training and employment status of 1985/6 school leavers in 1992. In addition, changes over time in their employment status and educational/training characteristics are described. Unemployment experiences are described in detail in section 4, with patterns analysed by education level, sex and region. Emigration experience is also described in some detail in section 5; over one third of school leavers emigrated at some time over the six-year period. But almost half of these had returned home by 1992. This a substantially higher return rate than in our previous follow-up surveys in 1982-87. Emigration is shown to be highly correlated with education level ? those with the least qualifications being last likely to emigrate and most likely to return. As indicated the report is descriptive and readers should be careful in drawing any casual inferences from the tables presented. Nevertheless the information provided is very interesting showing some clear relationships, particularly between level of education originally attained and subsequent education/training and labour market outcomes; emphasising in particular the very disadvantaged situation of the most poorly qualified and the low extent to which their initial disadvantage is subsequently corrected.
