The School-to-Work Transition Among Young People Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET): Trajectories and Pathways

Abstract

The transition from school to work is, in many societies, a socially prescribed and temporally structured developmental period. Yet a proportion of young people move through this phase outside normative time frames, for instance as NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), or remain in this status for extended periods. Early NEET status is associated with elevated risks of long-term unemployment, persistent precarious employment, and constrained career development. To prevent such long-term consequences, research is needed that systematically examines developmental processes within this group and situates them within existing career development theories. This dissertation is based on two longitudinal studies with four measurement points over a ten-month period. Study 1 investigates the development and interplay of cognitive belief-based processes—specifically self-efficacy and career decidedness—and their association with exit from NEET status (aggregated across employment, further education, or training). Results indicate that career decidedness is positively associated with exit from NEET status, whereas self-efficacy does not show a direct relationship with transition outcomes. Study 2 focuses on behavioral self-regulation and examines the developmental trajectories of career exploration and career planning. Both processes demonstrate theoretically grounded dynamic change over time, suggesting ongoing regulatory activity even under conditions of disrupted transition. Taken together, the findings suggest that NEET trajectories should not be interpreted as developmental stagnation, but as transitions unfolding under altered temporal and structural conditions in which career-related processes reorganize. By highlighting timing as a relevant contextual boundary condition, this dissertation contributes to career development theory and offers implications for sustained, sequenced support interventions as well as preventive measures prior to the onset of NEET status.