The Relevance of Social Networks in Getting a Matching Job Among Young People in Post-socialist and Occupational Labour Markets
Author: Murat kyzy, Aigul , aigulmuratova@gmail.com
University: Free University of Berlin, Germany
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Heike Solga
Year of completion: In progress
Language of dissertation: Englisch
Keywords:
Social networks
, young people
, job matching
, post-socialist labour markets
Areas of Research:
Labor Movements
, Education
, Youth
Abstract
The goal of the research project was to study the relevance of social networks for getting a matching jobs in occupational and post socialist labor markets. The key argument was that due to differences in institutional regimes represented in the nation-context specific labor structures, job matching patterns are correspondingly different. Theoretical argumentations were described on how the economic behavior of individuals is embedded within structural level variables, such as educational and employment systems, as well as behavior and value orientations due to ideological exposure, as in the cases of communist collectivism and capitalist individualism. Due to the impact of institutional variables on individual decisions, job matching mechanisms, as well as the relevance of individual resources in job matching have been assumed to be different. The data was derived from ISSP 2001 and covered 8 countries, clustered as Capitalist OLM, Post-socialist OLM and Post-socialist ILM. The hypotheses tested were that stronger institutional links and mechanisms fostering school to work transitions enable recent labor market entrants to obtain jobs that meet their educational attainments, and decrease the relevance of social networks in getting a matching job. In the case of weak links between training systems and labor market structures, where educational credentials have weak signaling power in labor markets, individual resources, including integration into social networks, were considered more relevant and important in getting a job and job matching among young people. The research also asserted that communist legacy supposedly had an impact on job matching and employment decisions, leading to the greater network embededness of labor market activities in post-socialist economies.
