(Un)realized agency in a situation of early job insecurity: patterns of young people’s agency regarding employment

Researchers have been giving greater attention recently to the different factors underlying the problems and challenges young people face in integrating into the labour market (e.g., Chung and Van Oorschot, 2010; Eurofound, 2014). Several studies have explored the institutional determin ants of early job insecurity in European countries (Hora et al., 2016) and the risk factors for young people’s careers in Europe during the economic crisis (Karamessini et al., 2016). However, existing research has less to say about how young people use their scope for agency within the institutional constraints they experience. This chapter focuses on the ways in which young people convert available resources into desired ways of living and flourishing (‘functionings’) in key social areas, such as education, employment, family formation, civic participation and cultural activities. Amongst these areas, the sphere of employment is particularly important for individuals’ well-being. We address the following research questions: