Labour Market Transitions in Italy: The Case of the NEET

The NEET (not in education, employment or training) is a recent construct aimed at identifying the youth disease for which young individuals are unemployed or inactive for reasons other than study (or training). The NEET is a risky phenomenon as it represents a factor of disengagement from society. The economic crisis has possibly exacerbated the phenomenon, especially in case of discouragement effects because of poor employment perspective and household income loss reducing enrolment rates. Italy shows one of the highest NEET rates in the EU and a relevant worsening during the economic crisis when compared to other OECD countries. This paper aims at bringing more evidence about the determinants of the labour market transitions of youth in Italy, especially looking at NEET condition and, then, what affects persistence in NEET status. We investigate what has changed in the period 2008–2013, then emphasize the role of the economic crisis and provide subgroup analysis to identify heterogeneities at age, gender, territorial and educational levels.