Young employees in Italy work frequently
in jobs which do not compensate sufficiently
the investment in human capital made by
themselves. Such a phenomenon is due to
the characteristics of the labour demand, and
also to the information asymmetries existing
in the labour market. This latest problem can
be overcome by the individual relying on his/
her social networks. The article focuses on
the employed population aged 25-34, and
illustrates results from a detailed analysis of
the relationship between social capital, human
capital and income. The main findings show that
in Italy the social background of the individual
plays an important role in placing young people
in well-paid jobs, while those with modest social
origins have to rely on institutional channels and
are therefore placed in low paid and presumably
poor quality jobs.