Abstract

The transition from university to work for Italian young graduates has characterized itself for more than a decade by fragmentation and scarce consideration of the skills developed through formal education. In very fragmented labour markets, frequently, during the first years of work contractual stability is rare and goes along with qualifications that are not coherent with university degrees. This article sheds light on the hypothesis that there could be a negative tradeoff between more stable contracts and professional qualifications, generating mismatch and alarming consequences on an economic, social and personal level. Specifically, through an innovative attempt to integrate administrative archives (Sapienza and Ministry of Labour), we explored the relation between university degrees and qualifications in the subordinate and quasi-subordinate labor market. The goal of this article is to describe the match between job demand and offer in the national economic system and suggest interpretations that give consideration also to the educational aspects, often neglected in the current debate.