Labour Market Status, Transitions and Gender: a European Perspective

This article analyses the determinants of labour market statuses (the choice between part-time employment, full-time employment, and non-employment), and of yearly transitions between non-employment and employment, in Europe. It uses the cross-sectional 2006 EU-SILC database. The results show strong links between initial education level and full-time employment integration as well as the probability of finding a job when in non-employment to begin with. Gender and family variables also exert a strong influence on labour market statuses and mobility: being a woman, and even more so being the mother of a young child, increases the probability of being in non-employment, or in part-time employment, and also in experiencing difficult transitions. In terms of policies, the article shows that the use of childcare is positively correlated with parents' employment and favourable transitions. Finally, heterogeneity within the EU appears high, with significant country effects on both statuses and flows.