Ability and motivation in the new world of work : a study of socio-demographic characteristics among school leavers entering the labour market

Abstract

Early school leavers represent an immense challenge for the education system, labour economics, industrial productivity and social benefits reliance. Early school leavers represent individuals who may not have the necessarily up-to-date skills and competencies to make it into the labour market in the way the world of work is constituted nowadays. It is therefore important to go beyond mere numerical statistics about the phenomenon and it is equally important to appreciate the way the phenomenon is organised along critical dimensions. This study looks at a number of salient social and personal demographic data, by characterising early school leavers seeking entry into the labour market. It organises this data along two dimensions on a four quadrant space: high ability/ high motivation; high ability/ low motivation; low ability/ high motivation; and low ability/ low motivation. Using spatial analysis, this study will explore how these different quadrants are best represented thus extracting patterns that can enable a better explanation of the real issue at hand. Main findings of this study have implications on education-to-work policies, specific employment and individual interventions and career guidance among early school leavers.