Millennial Generation’s Job Search Activity and Job Quality: Findings from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth

Abstract

Job quality of young adults in the USA has been eroding since the Great Recession of 2007. The intensity of job search activities are a well-established predictor of employment, yet little is known whether job search intensity is associated with the quality of subsequent secured employment. This study examined the 2013 sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) (N = 1566), which follows a sample of American youth born between 1980 and 1984 and contains reliable measures of job search activities and job quality. Multivariate regression models examined whether job search activities were associated with pay, paid vacation days, full time job status, regular work schedule, and availability of a union contract, controlling for demographic factors. The results demonstrated that the number of job search activities completed was positively associated with multiple positive employment-related outcomes. Programs to assist individuals in the job search process may benefit from these results when offering strategies for successfully securing employment of a higher quality that may offer increased quality of life.