Graduates' Characteristics and Labour Market Entry: Polish Experience

I this study I concentrate on the relation between the characteristics of graduates and labour market entry chances in Poland. The research question is to what extent labour market entry success is affected by graduates' characteristics and how different groups of graduates differ in probabilities of finding their first jobs. The study of chances of young people in entering the labour market is important for a number of reasons. It is important from the point of view of education policy and its intermediary role in matching labour demand with labour supply. It is also important from the point of view of the human capital formation and long run macroeconomic performance of the economy. Successful entry into the labour market reduces the problem of human capital depreciation and results in greater flexibility of the labour market. The analysis reveals that demographic variables, marital status, age, level of education, various measures of human capital as well as social capital characteristics play important role in determining the chance of finding first job for a graduate. Groups of graduates with higher chances are: male graduates with tertiary education, living in larger cities, with high levels of various measures of human capital and social activities characteristics. There are also interesting regional disparities as well as important role of a business cycle.