Young People Who Neither Study Nor Work in Quebec (Canada): A Paradigmatic Case for Understanding Structural Transformations in the Labor Market

The profound structural transformations of the labor market-whether technological, organizational, related to production and the environment, or involving new atypical forms of activity and employment, as well as the decline in security and labor rights-challenge the dominant employment model. This model, as a social and statistical norm, raises questions about its impact and significance for individuals, as well as the administrative, institutional, and political categories that address these issues. This article focuses on the NEET category, "Not in Education, Employment, or Training," used to characterize the situation of young people who are disengaged from typical employment and educational activities during this stage of life. Due to its heterogeneity and vagueness, this category serves as a paradigmatic case for understanding the structural transformations of the labor market. It is reflected in the sociolabor and educational trajectories of these young individuals, their subjective resistance to employment norms, and the challenges that categorizing these trajectories poses for public policies and research. The results come from a qualitative study conducted with 81 young people aged 17 to 34 living in Quebec, Canada, who have experienced at least one NEET period of one year or more. The findings reveal their biographical trajectories, activities, decisions, challenges, and social inequalities, which are influenced by various changes in the labor market. This contrasts sharply with the static, binary, and negative view imposed by the NEET category.