The first years in the labor market. Four birth cohorts in comparision

The debate about the structural change of the labor market and the organiza tion of dependent work has not been decided, neither theoretically nor empi rically. This paper investigates on the basis of data from the GSOEP (Germa n Socio Economic Panel) the entry into the labor market and the first years of gainful employment for four birth cohorts. The central focus of our arg umentation lies on the following questions: Is there an increase of atypica l entries into the labor market (aged 15 to 26) - i.e. part-time employment , unemployment or non labor market participation - and what proportion of t heir first years of working life (aged 15 to 36) do people spend in full-ti me employment. The results show a rise of atypical entries into the labor m arket for the younger cohorts. The duration of male full-time employment wi ll be shorter because of longer education periods, while this duration rise s for women as a result of decreasing relevance of housewife work. An atypi cal entry into the labor market has long-term consequences for the further working life, so that it hardly can be compensated. A de-standardization of the entry into the working life is most frequent for men and women with lo wer professional qualification. The results show that society is increasing ly polarizing along the lines of qualified and non-qualified persons.