Traditional Inequalities and New Insecurities: Long-Term Trends in the Transition to the Labor Market in Germany

Abstract

Successful transitions from school to work are decisive for success later in life. The situation of young people at this stage is therefore an issue not only for scientific research, but also for public discussion. A high level of institutionalized coordination has traditionally been a core element of the German institutional system, not least with regard to education, training and employment (Hillmert 2002), and this has been associated with comparatively smooth transition patterns (Shavit and Muller 1998; Muller and Gangl 2003; Scherer 2005; Brzinsky-Fay 2007). Discussion in recent years has, however, increasingly focused on the problems occurring at these transitions (Hillmert 2008). When assessing this situation, it is not only important to know how many people finally make successful transitions, but also how extended and complex transitions are. Against this background, this paper asks whether and to what extent there has really been a de-structuring of the transition to the labor market in Germany – and linked with it of the transition to adulthood – as it has been proposed by theories of individualization (most prominently, Beck 1992). Possible indicators of such a de-structuring would be a de-standardization of transition patterns, a decreasing social differentiation and a declining significance of school-to-work transitions for other domains of life.