# The influence of social class of origin on labor market entry and the mediating role of education in Italy

## TL;DR

This study shows that in Italy, people from higher social classes tend to enter the labor market later due to education, but class disparities in job entry remain significant.

## Contribution

The study introduces a detailed analysis of how education mediates the effect of social class on labor market entry in Italy using Event History Analysis and KHB decomposition.

## Key findings

- Individuals from higher social backgrounds delay labor market entry due to prolonged education and financial support.
- Education does not fully eliminate class disparities in labor market entry, as controlling for education amplifies the effect of social origin.
- Social class disparities in labor market entry remain stable across birth cohorts and regions, with stronger effects for women in northern Italy.

## Abstract

Access to the labor market is influenced by various socio-economic factors, including social class and education. In Italy, these elements play a crucial role in determining employment opportunities and career trajectories. This study aims to analyze how social origin influences transition to the first job across different birth cohorts, gender groups, and macro-region of residence while also assessing the mediating role of education.

Using Event History Analysis, we estimate labor market entry timing via survival models and discrete-time logistic regression, accounting for social background effects. We classify social origin using the European Socio-economic Classification scale based on the parental occupation. The analysis, conducted separately by gender, controls for birth cohort, education, parenthood, and area of residence. Also, we employ the KHB decomposition, which enables us to quantify the extent to which education mediates the influence of social background on labor market entry.

Individuals from lower social backgrounds enter the labor market earlier, while those from higher-status families tend to delay entry, likely due to extended education and greater financial support. Educational attainment mediates the relationship between social origin and labor market entry, as individuals from higher-status backgrounds tend to delay entry due to prolonged education. However, education does not fully eliminate class-based disparities—controlling for educational attainment amplifies rather than erases the effect of social origin, indicating that other mechanisms still play a role. Social class disparities in labor market entry remain largely stable across cohorts, with only minimal convergence among men and no significant change among women. For men, class effects remain stable across macro-regions, while for women they are stronger in northern Italy.

Our findings confirm that social origin remains a significant determinant of labor market entry in Italy, despite changes in education and labor market structures over time. While increased access to education has contributed to greater opportunities, it has not entirely eliminated class-based disparities in employment transitions.