The unequal opportunity for skills acquisition during the Great Recession in Europe

Abstract

This paper is the first to investigate the extent to which the high levels of Joblessness resulting from the Great Recession across Europe have translated into higher school attendance among youth. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from the EU-S ILC for 28 countries, we establish a robust counter-cyclical relationship between rising unemployment rates and school enrolment. The same is true of transitions back to education. Our analysis by subgroups reveals a worrying trend, with youths who have the most disadvantaged backgrounds (measured by low household income) less likely to enrol in tertiary studies when unemployment rises. Keywords: Unemployment, school enrolment, transitions back to education, youth, Great Recession, EU-SILC