Young People and Subjective Employment Insecurity: Evidence from the Finnish Youth Barometer between 2009 and 2019

Abstract

Although broad labour market transformations have altered employment prospects for young people in the Global North, young people remain optimistic about their future employment opportunities. However, there is relatively little research on variations in young people’s perceptions. Using data from the Finnish Youth Barometer Survey, we address this gap by analysing young people’s perceived employment insecurity—that is, feelings of insecurity about future employment chances. We analyse first the determinants of employment insecurity and second the relationship between non-standard work contracts and employment insecurity in the employed group. The finding showed that economic downturns, immigrant background and unemployment status are associated with insecurity. Having a non-standard contract was associated with more insecurity. Young women feel more insecure than men. This is partly explained by the concentration of non-standard contracts among women. Our results show that there are differences in employment insecurity among young people and that young people react to economic downturns.

Promoting Institutional Cooperation through a Joint Project-Based Learning Course: A Case Study of Upper-Secondary School and University Students’ Experienced Relevance

“…Research suggests that students are interested in learning about things they perceive as being connected with their personal life, such as health, food, and SSI such as sustainable development (Bybee and McCrae 2011;Fooladi 2013;Kotkas, Holbrook, and Rannikmäe 2016;Sjøberg and Schreiner 2010). The Youth Barometer 2019 (N=1907) indicates that Finnish youth is increasingly interested in social activism and incorporating this into science education could engage students in learning (Haikkola and Myllyniemi 2020). Indeed, the evidence suggests that especially in secondary school, SSI-based science education has a potential to incorporate all three dimensions of relevance as it supports students' science career awareness, their interest toward science studies, and helps prepare them to become responsible and active citizens in the future (Burmeister, Rauch, and Eilks 2012;Çalık and Wiyarsi 2021;Eilks and Hofstein 2015;Stuckey et al 2013;Tolppanen et al 2019).…”