Young People and Precarious Labour Markets

Annalisa Dordoni is Coordinator of the Research Network 30 “Youth and Generation” of the European Sociological Association (2024–2026). She holds a PhD in Applied Sociology and Social Research Methodology from the University of Milano-Bicocca and is a researcher in economic and labour sociology, currently collaborating with various organizations. Her research interests include the times and rhythms of work, labour processes, and work–life balance in the service society; changes in working conditions in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic; job insecurity and the societal consequences of precarious work—with a focus on generational, gender, and class dimensions. She is the author of Sempre aperto. Lavorare su turni nella società dei servizi 24/7 (2019) and Incels in the Italian Manosphere: Labour Conditions, Social Exclusion and Self-Victimization (2026).Guglielmo Meardi is Professor of Economic and Labour Sociology at Scuola Normale Superiore, Florence (Italy), and Co-Coordinator of RN17 “Work, Employment and Industrial Relations” of the European Sociological Association (2024–2026). His research covers especially comparative industrial relations, trade unions, employment policies.Valeria Pulignano is Professor of Sociology at KU Leuven and Coordinator of RN17 “Work, Employment and Industrial Relations” of the European Sociological Association (2024–2026). She is currently Francqui Research Professor and member of Leuven.AI – KU Leuven Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Her fields of expertise include work, employment (industrial) relations, and labour markets. She is Associate Fellow at the ESRC Centre for Digital Futures at Work (Digit) at Leeds University, and Fellow at the Industrial Relations Research Unit (IRRU) at the University of Warwick. She serves as Editor of Work, Employment and Society, and Associate Editor of Journal of Industrial Relations. She is the co-author (with Markieta Domecka) of The Politics of Unpaid Labour (2025).

• Introduction: Young People and Work, Annalisa Dordoni and Guglielmo Meardi; PART I: Insecurities; 1. Job Insecurity and Youth Economic Vulnerability in the Times of Polycrisis, Annalisa Dordoni; 2. Rethinking Job Insecurity: Integrating Objective and Subjective Dimensions, Sonia Bertolini and Valentina Goglio; 3. Beyond Crisis: Micro- and Macro-level Determinants of Subjective Job Insecurity Among Europe’s Youth, Jovana Zafirović; PART II: Contexts; 4. The Social Space of Young Workers in Portugal: Inequalities and Distinct Social Profiles, Rodrigo Vieira Assis, Inês Tavares and Renato Miguel Carmo; 5: Restaurants and Warehouses as Sites for Socialization into Unions? Experiences of young workers, Lotta Haikkola; 6. Adapting to Change: Remote Work, Young Adults, and Labor Market Transformation in Poland, Piotr Binder; 7. Labour Market Inclusion and Exclusion of Severely Disabled Young Persons in Finland, Pauli Rautiainen and Karoliina Ahonen; PART III: Transitions; 8. Between Desire and Reality: Aspirations and Work Expectations among Young Italians, Amalia Caputo and Ilaria Marotta; 9. Entrepreneurialism in Youth Transitions: Changes in Employment Pathways of University Graduates in Cyprus, Sophia Stavrou; 10. From Matching to Marketing: University Students’ Concerns about Employment, Skills and Competence in Career Counseling Discussions, Miira Niska and Minna Paanasalo; 11. Passion and Precarity: The Formation of Professional Identities of Young Gameworkers in Spain, Luis Garrido-Sánchez and Erik Dueñas-Rello; Conclusion: The Uncertain Future of Work, Annalisa Dordoni and Valeria Pulignano; AFTERWORDS; Holistic Approaches to Youth and Young Adulthood: Generations, Precarious Work and Inequality, Dan Woodman; Opportunity Structures and Youth Transitions: the Challenge of Precariousness, Yuri Kazepov