Patterns in the occupational mobility network of the higher education graduates. Comparative study in 12 EU countries

TL;DR

This study analyzes the occupational mobility networks of higher education graduates across 12 EU countries, revealing common patterns in job transitions during the first five years post-graduation.

Contribution

It constructs and compares weighted, directed occupational mobility networks for 12 EU countries using empirical data, highlighting shared mobility patterns.

Findings

Identification of common occupational mobility patterns across countries

Insights into the structure of graduate job transitions

Comparison of mobility networks in different EU labor markets

Abstract

The article investigates the properties of the occupational mobility network (OMN) in 12 EU countries. Using REFLEX database we construct for each country an empirical OMN that reflects the job movements of the university graduates, during the first five years after graduation (1999 - 2005). The nodes are represented by the occupations coded at 3 digits according to ISCO-88 and the links are weighted with the number of graduates switching from one occupation to another. We construct the networks as weighted and directed. This comparative study allows us to see what are the common patterns in the OMN over different EU labor markets.