Emigration from the Perspective of the School-to-Work Transition in Bulgaria

Abstract

Abstract:The aim of this article is to analyse the extent to which differences between young people's education, employment status, and social background can explain the differences in their emigration intentions and actual experience with emigration. The goal is to create a profile of youth with emigration experience and examine the interrelation between two transitions, from education to work and from youth into adulthood, as measured by the degree of independence from parents, and also to investigate social inequalities among people with emigration experience in the transition from education to finding a first job. The analysis is based on theories of the individual life-course transition and social status theories. The empirical data were gathered from a representative survey conducted in Bulgaria in 2014 that focused on young people aged 15-34 who had left education within the previous five years. The results show that young people from large families with many siblings more often have emigration intentions and that previous emigration experience is the strongest predictor of emigration intentions. Emigration intentions are also more likely among people who have emigrated and later returned and ended up economically inactive. This fact is important in understanding the large number of young people who are not in education or employment (NEETs) in Bulgaria.

Regional and Ethnic Disparities of School-to-Work Transitions in Bulgaria

“…Third, STWTs in Bulgaria are often intertwined with complex internal and international migration patterns, which were not explored further in the current study. Roma and Turks may temporarily emigrate abroad for seasonal work in agriculture or construction rather than to register for unemployment or to increase their qualifications [38,47]. Finally, we could only analyse short-to mid-term labour market integration processes, with respondents having left formal education one to five years before they were surveyed.…”

“…Katsarska and Monova [18] mention that, beside the tobacco production, the construction sector has been a traditional economic niche for ethnic Turks, but also that many Turkish families have left the country to find jobs in Turkey and Western Europe. The intention to work abroad by young adults is generally high in the rural areas (19% in villages), but especially among young Roma (26%) and young Turks (21%), whereas only 16% of ethnic Bulgarians intend to do so [38].…”

Mobile young individuals: subjective experiences of migration and return

“…Higher wages and more work opportunities abroad were the main pull factors. A recent study (Stoilova and Dimitrova, 2017) shows that low-qualified Bulgarians earn higher wages for the same work in Western Europe. Thus, they have little incentive to enhance their education and qualifications and improve their labour market chances in Bulgaria.…”

NEETs and the Process of Transition From School to the Labor Market: A Comparative Analysis of Italy, Romania, and Bulgaria

“…In these conditions, most young Romanians choose to enter the informal economy. The same situation is specific to young Bulgarians (Stoilova & Dimitrova, 2017). Although rarely covered by national or European statistics, this type of NEETs is mentioned by Eurofound (2016) as young people who have identified "alternative ways of life" in the informal economy.…”