‘My father found it for me’: changing experiences of entering the workforce in twentieth-century urban Britain

Abstract

ABSTRACT:Leaving education and gaining employment is a significant life course transition for most people. This article explores the processes by which young people gained their first job in mid-twentieth-century urban Britain, and examines the ways in which this changed in relation to major shifts in society, economy and culture. Key themes include the role of parents and other family members, changes in levels of autonomy and control and the impacts of societal change. Data are drawn from oral testimonies collected in three major urban areas: Glasgow, Manchester and London, and span a period from the 1920s to the 1980s.

Review of periodical literature published in 2015

“…Also contributing to debates about the experiences and life chances of the working class was work on the subject of the labour market and the working conditions of labourers. Pooley addresses the role of family connections in the job market outcomes of twentieth‐century urban Britain, using oral testimonies to examine the way in which people found their first job in Glasgow, Manchester, and London from the 1920s to the 1980s. Push factors that influence the labour force choices of adolescents from south London are the subject of an article by Durey, who examines underage enlistees in the 11th Battalion Royal West Kent Regiment in 1915.…”

“…They construct a measure of involuntary non‐standard employment and find that young people, individuals from non‐white ethnic groups, and those in weak regional economies were particularly at risk of involuntary non‐standard employment. Lastly, Pooley explores the processes by which young people gained their first job in mid‐twentieth‐century urban Britain. He also examines the ways in which these processes changed in relation to major shifts in society, economy, and culture.…”