Youth Work Transitions in the South of Europe

This chapter presents an in-depth review of the literature addressing the work transitions of emerging adults from the South of Europe (Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain). These countries were severely hit by the 2008 economic crisis, which strongly impacted youth facing labor market integration. For southern European youth, labor market integration remains as a key transition enabling engagement in other adult roles and responsibilities. To address the work transitions of young people from the South of Europe, the authors (a) outline the specifics of the Mediterranean context influencing these transitions; (b) look into the general patterns and timing of youth work transitions in these countries; and (c) discuss how such transition patterns and timing affect how emerging adults approach and live their lives, in particular how they navigate the ongoing, multiple, and interconnected transitions to adulthood. The chapter concludes by highlighting the impact changing, adverse social contexts have on the ways in which youth construct their pathways to work and adulthood.