Revisiting the Patterns of Youth Transition

Abstract

Leaving one’s family of origin and establishing their household is a common type of youth transition (Baranowska-Rataj, Bertolini, Goglio, Country level analyses of mechanisms and interrelationships between labor market insecurity and autonomy EXCEPT Working Paper No. 11. https://iris.unito.it/bitstream/2318/1665501/1/WP11_Country_level_analyses_of_mechanisms_and_interrelationships_between_labour_market_insecurity_and_autonomy_v2.pdf, 2017; Corijn, Klijzing, Transitions to adulthood in Europe. Springer, 2011; Manzoni A, Acta Sociol 59(4):362–377, 2016; Lalanda Nico, Qual Quant 50(5):2107–2120, 2016; Settersten, The contemporary context of young adulthood in the USA: from demography to development, from private troubles to public issues. In: Early adulthood in a family context, vol 2. pp 3–26. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1436-0_1, 2012; Shanahan, Ann Rev Sociol 26(1):667–692, 2000) and represents a vital indicator of the transition from youth to adulthood. This domestic transition implies financial independence for young people and greater social autonomy.

However, residential autonomy can be improved with more financial resources. The challenging labor market, unsuccessful youth transitions, and experiences of long-term unemployment have shown that a stable and continuous career path is no longer readily available for the youth (Bauman, 1998). During the past few years, numerous researchers (Bessant, J Youth Stud 21(6):780–798. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1420762, 2018; Broschak et al., Work Occup 35(1):3–43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888407309604, 2008; Kalleberg, Good jobs, bad jobs: the rise of polarized and precarious employment systems in the United States, 1970s to 2000s. Russell Sage Foundation, 2011; Kalleberg, Hewison, Am Behav Sci 57(3):271–288. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764212466238, 2003; Kalleberg, Vallas, Precarious work. Emerald Publishing 2018; Vallas, Prener, Work Occup 39(4), 331–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/0730888412456027, 2012; Vosko et al., 2003) have employed various criteria and factors to categorize distinct employment situations as precarious work. The prevalence of precarious employment among the youth has increased, leading many to struggle with transitioning to stable employment status. Particularly, young people with low skills and education levels face significant challenges in precarious employment, such as flexible jobs, reduced fringe benefits, lower wages, and limited upward mobility. Precarious work entails uncertainty and instability and creates a situation of living and working without stability or a safety net.

This phenomenon is becoming increasingly significant in Europe. Some scholars (Mattioli, De Luigi, Young people and housing transitions: moral obligations of intergenerational support in an Italian working-class context. In: Transitions to adulthood through recession. Routledge, pp 137–155, 2018; Medgyesi, Nagy, Income sharing and spending decisions of young people living with their parents. In: Youth labor in transition. pp 258–285, 2019; Wyn et al., J Sociol 48(1):3–22, 2011) have investigated the process of leaving the parental home across Europe, focusing on the national context and examining how labor market exclusion influences young people’s decisions on leaving the parental household and seeking support from family members. Since limited research has been conducted in Asian societies, this chapter explores the impact of economic precariousness on young people’s decisions regarding their transition to adulthood and their likelihood of leaving the parental home. Additionally, this chapter compares the policies supporting young people’s transition in Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea, aiming to identify significant differences among these three societies’ transition policies.