Skip to main content

Transitions Between Education and Employment in the Twenty-First Century: A View from the Asia-Pacific

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific

Abstract

Since the turn of the century, the restructuring of labor markets has intensified, and pathways between education and employment have become more complex. Rather than completing a linear transition between full-time education and full-time employment, young people are now more likely to experience protracted, non-linear transitions as they undertake various forms of both study and employment. Due to the emergence of the gig economy and the scarcity of opportunities for full-time employment, young people face lengthy delays in securing economic independence from their parents. This chapter provides an overview of how young people across the Asia-Pacific region negotiated the transition between education and employment during the twenty-first century.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (2019). Australian historical population statistics, 2019. www.abs.gov.au

  • ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (2020). Education and work, Australia, May 2020. www.abs.gov.au

  • ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (2021a). Jobs in Australia. www.abs.gov.au

  • ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). (2021b). Labour force, Australia. www.abs.gov.au

  • Alberti, G., Bessa, I., Hardy, K., Trappmann, V., & Umney, C. (2018). In, against and beyond precarity: Work in insecure times. Work, Employment and Society, 32(3), 447–457.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antonucci, L. (2018). Not all experiences of precarious work lead to precarity: The case study of young people at university and their welfare mixes. Journal of Youth Studies, 21(7), 888–904.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aronson, P., Callahan, T., & Davis, T. (2015). The transition from college to work during the Great Recession: Employment, financial, and identity challenges. Journal of Youth Studies, 18(9), 1097–1118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis. Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bell, D. N., & Blanchflower, D. G. (2011). Young people and the Great Recession. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 27(2), 241–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blossfeld, H.-P., Klijzing, E., Mills, M., & Kurz, K. (2005). Globalization, uncertainty and youth in society: The losers in a globalizing world. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., Lauder, H., & Ashton, D. (2011). The global auction: The broken promise of education, jobs and incomes. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., Lauder, H., & Cheung, S. Y. (2020). The death of human capital? Its failed promise and how to renew it in an age of disruption. Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Brzinsky-Fay, C. (2007). Lost in transition? Labour market entry sequences of school leavers in Europe. European Sociological Review, 23(4), 409–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cebulla, A., & Whetton, S. (2018). All roads leading to Rome? The medium term outcomes of Australian youth’s transition pathways from education. Journal of Youth Studies, 21(3), 304–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, H.-J., & Zach, K. (2018). Industrial development in Asia Trends in industrialization and industrial policy experiences of developing Asia. WIDER Working Paper 2018/120. https://doi.org/10.35188/UNU-WIDER/2018/562-6

  • Chesters, J. (2019). Economic growth, wealth and wealth inequality in Asia before, during and after the Global Financial Crisis. Asian Journal of Social Science, 47, 459–483.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesters, J. (2020). Preparing for transitions between education and employment in the 21st century. Journal of Applied Youth Studies, 3, 133–151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesters, J. (2016). Trends in economic growth and levels if wealth inequality in G20 nations: 2001–2013. Contemporary Social Science, 11(2–3), 270–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesters, J., & Cuervo, H. (2019). Adjusting to the new employment landscape: Consequences of precarious employment in Australia. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 30(2), 222–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesters, J., Simona, J., & Suter, C. (2020). Cross-national comparison of age and period effects on levels of subjective well-being in Australia and Switzerland during volatile economic times (2001–2016). Social Indicators Research, 154(1), 361–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesters, J., & Watson, L. (2013). Understanding the persistence of inequality in higher education: Evidence from Australia. Journal of Education Policy, 28(2), 198–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chesters, J., & Wyn, J. (2019). Chasing rainbows: How many educational qualifications do young people need to acquire meaningful, ongoing work? Journal of Sociology, 55(4), 670–688.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, J., & Bae, H. (2020). Changes in early labour market outcomes among young college graduates in South Korea. ANNALS AAPSS, 688, 115–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuervo, H., & Chesters, J. (2019). The [im]possibility of planning a future: How prolonged precarious employment during transitions affects the lives of young Australians. Labour and Industry, 29(4), 295–312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuervo, H., & Wyn, J. (2011). Rethinking youth transitions in Australia: A historical and multidimensional approach. Research Report 33. Youth Research Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuervo, H., & Wyn, J. (2016). An “unspoken” crisis: The “scarring effects” of the complex nexus between education and work on two generations of young Australians. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 3, 122–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elias, P., & Purcell, K. (2004). Is mass higher education working? Evidence from the labour market experiences of recent graduates. National Institute Economic Review, 190, 60–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foucault, M. (2010). The birth of biopolitics: Lectures at the College de France 1978–1979. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furlong, A., Goodwin, J., O’Connor, H., Hadfield, S., Hall, S., Lowden, K., & Plugor, R. (2017). Young people in the labour market: Past, present, future. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heyes, J., Tomlinson, M., & Whitworth, A. (2017). Underemployment and well-being in the UK before and after the Great Recession. Work, Employment and Society, 31(1), 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hulliger, B., & Thu, N. T. H. (2019). Modelling the choice of Vietnamese adolescents between school and work. Journal of Education and Work, 32(6–7), 598–613.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hung, H.-F. (2012). Global crisis, China, and the strange demise of the east Asian model. In C. Suter & M. Herkenrath (Eds.), World society in the global economic climate (pp. 133–148). LIT Verlah GmbH & Co KG Wien.

    Google Scholar 

  • ILO (International Labour Organization). (2009). ILO school-to-work transition survey: A methodological guide. Youth Employment Programme, International Labour Office. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/ed_emp/documents/instruc tionalmaterial/wcms_140857.pdf

  • ILO (International Labour Organization). (2020a). Global employment trends for youth 2020: Technology and future jobs 2020. International Labour Organization. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/%2D%2D-dgreports/%2D%2D-dcomm/%2D%2D-publ/documents/publication/wcms_737648.pdf

  • ILO (International Labour Organization). (2020b). World employment and social outlook trends 2020. International Labour Organization. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/%2D%2D-dgreports/%2D%2D-dcomm/%2D%2D-publ/documents/publication/wcms_734455.pdf

  • Kalleberg, A. L. (2009). Precarious work, insecure workers: Employment relations in transition. American Sociological Review, 74, 1–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalleberg, A. L. (2011). Good jobs, bad jobs: The rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s–2000s. Russell Sage Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalleberg, A. L. (2012). Job quality and precarious work: Clarifications, controversies, and challenges. Work and Occupations, 39(4), 427–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalleberg, A. (2020). Labour market uncertainties and youth labor force experiences: Lessons learned. ANNALS AAPSS, 688, 258–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalleberg, A., & Hewison, K. (2013). Precarious work and the challenge for Asia. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(3), 271–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kreitz-Sandberg, S. (2008). The influence of sociocultural and environmental factors on the adolescents’ life and development: Japanese youth from a Western reader’s perspective. Asia Europe Journal, 5, 499–517.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhner, S., Jiang, J., Wen, Z., & Lau, M. (2021). Labour market experience, educational attainment and self-reported happiness: Crowding-out amongst young people in Hong Kong. Journal of Education and Work, 34(3), 275–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lazar, W. D., & Ruan, N. (2018). Symposium: The future of low-wage work: Is there a future for work? Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law Policy, 25(3), 343–354.

    Google Scholar 

  • McKay, A., Mussida, C., & Veruete, L. (2018). The challenge of youth employment in Asia: Lessons from four fast-growing economies. World Economies, 41, 1045–1067.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, M., Blossfeld, H.-P., & Klijzing, E. (2005). Becoming an adult in uncertain times. In H.-P. Blossfeld, E. Klijzing, M. Mills, & K. Kurz (Eds.), Globalization, uncertainty and youth in society: The losers in a globalizing world (pp. 423–441). Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mok, K. H. (2016). Massification of higher education, graduate employment and social mobility in the greater China region. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(1), 51–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mok, K. H., & Jiang, J. (2018). Massification of higher education and challenges for graduate employment and social mobility: East Asian experiences and sociological reflections. International Journal of Educational Development, 63(1), 44–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mok, K. H., & Qian, J. (2018). Massification of higher education and youth transition: Skills mismatch, informal sector jobs and implications for China. Journal of Education and Work, 31(4), 339–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nahar, Q., Xenos, P., & Abalos, J. (2013). The changing transitions to adulthood across South East Asia: A Census approach to cross-national comparisons. ANNALS AAPSS, 646, 42–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Skills Commission. (2021). Australian jobs 2020. Commonwealth Government. https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-11/Australian%20Jobs%20Report%202020.pdf

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayyar, D. (2021). Industrialization in developing Asia since 1970: Why technology, learning, and innovation matter. Innovation and Development, 11(2–3), 365–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NZG (New Zealand Government). (2021). Education counts. https://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/statistics/tertiary-participation

  • NZS (Statistics New Zealand). (2021). Labour force status by age group. http://infoshare.stats.govt.nz/SelectVariables.aspx

  • OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). (2021). OECD family database. https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/SF_2_3_Age_mothers_childbirth.pdf

  • Sanders, J., Munford, R., Boden, J., & Johnston, W. (2020). Earning, learning, and access to support: The role of early engagement in work, employment skills development and supportive relationships in employment outcomes for vulnerable youth in New Zealand. Children and Youth Services Review, 110, 104753.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, M. (1973). Job market signalling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tran, T. T. (2018). Youth transition to employment in Vietnam: A vulnerable path. Journal of Education and Work, 31(1), 59–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van de Werfhorst, H. G. (2009). Credential inflation and educational strategies: A comparison of the United States and the Netherlands. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 27, 269–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2021). World development indicators database. https://databank.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/1ff4a498/Popular-Indicators#

  • Yeung, W.-J. J., & Alipio, C. (2013). Transitioning to adulthood in Asia: School, work and family life. ANNALS AAPSS, 646, 6–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeung, W.-J. J., & Yang, Y. (2020). Labour market uncertainties for youth and young adults: An international perspective. ANNALS AAPSS, 688, 7–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, H. (2017). The minimum living standard guarantee system and citizenship cultivation among the poor in China. Asian Journal of Social Sciences, 45, 483–506.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jenny Chesters .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Chesters, J. (2023). Transitions Between Education and Employment in the Twenty-First Century: A View from the Asia-Pacific. In: Lee, W.O., Brown, P., Goodwin, A.L., Green, A. (eds) International Handbook on Education Development in Asia-Pacific. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_66-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-2327-1_66-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-16-2327-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-16-2327-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference EducationReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Education

Publish with us

Policies and ethics