Youth participation in the Greek labour market: developments and obstacles

The last few decades have seen a significant increase in education enrolment rates in Greece. Despite this development, however, finding a job still appears to be a lengthy process. Estimates from a transition model using individual data from the 2000 Ad hoc Labour Force Survey suggest that the transition from school to work is correlated with labour market conditions, with the degree of urbanization of the region of residence, with the level of education completed and the field of study followed. The results question whether the education pattern of full-time studies followed in Greece, as opposed to a combination of studies with opportunities for work experience followed in most EU-15 countries, is appropriate. The study also reviews the institutional features that determine youth pay in Greece which appears to be less flexible than in other countries although an assessment of the impact of institutions on youth employment asks for general equilibrium analysis which is not undertaken in this study.