Good Job Expectations and Submissiveness in the Labor Market among Young Adults with NEET Status
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine how family/partner financial support is associated with employment expectations (Good Job Expectations; GJE) and willingness to make concessions in the labor market (Submissiveness in the Labor Market; SI) among young adults with NEET status, while accounting for caregiving responsibilities and the duration of NEET status. Design/Methodology/Approach: A cross-sectional CAPI survey was conducted among 1074 individuals aged 18–34 who had been out of employment, education, and training for at least three months prior to participation in the study. The associations corresponding to H1 and H2 were estimated using two OLS linear regression models. Both models included family/partner financial support, caregiving responsibilities, and duration of NEET status. Findings: Family/partner financial support was positively associated with GJE and negatively associated with SI, also after accounting for the other predictors. The findings indicate that a private financial safety net co-occurs with higher expectations regarding future employment and a lower willingness to accept less favorable or more demanding employment conditions. Practical Implications: The findings suggest that labor market activation measures and employment services targeting people with NEET may take into account differences in their private financial safety nets. Individuals without such a safety net may face greater pressure to accept less favorable job offers quickly, whereas those receiving support from family or a partner may have greater scope to reject them. Originality/Value: The literature review identified no previous studies directly testing the association of current family/partner financial support simultaneously with GJE and SI among young adults with NEET status. The study therefore extends the existing literature by examining relationships between private economic resources, expectations regarding future employment, and declared willingness to make concessions.