Student Employment. Analysing Inequalities in Term-time Working and its Effects on Labour Market Entry

In this project we examined employment patterns among students from different social origins. We extended previous research by taking into account different local labour market conditions that affect the quantity and quality of jobs available to students. This enabled us to develop hypotheses on the structural conditions of individual decisions. Our empirical analyses we found that students with parents that themselves have not graduated are more likely to work than are students with two highly educated parents, and the jobs they occupy are less related to their field of study. Our results also show that under tighter labour market conditions the disadvantages of students from a lower social backgrounds increase. In another step of the project we studied the effects of work experience on the labor market entry after graduation. The results give a differentiated picture of the role of different types of work experience. For both steps one article has been completed in 2012 and submitted to journals. The project now ends at the MZES and a follow up project at the University of Cologne will start in the near future.