Abstract:
In this study, we explore the relationship between university graduates’ early career decisions and their interregional mobility.
We focus on the immediate entry of graduates in the labor market, exploring how their career (salaried-job vs. self-employment) and mobility choices (staying in their university region or moving) are interrelated.
We use a longitudinal dataset covering 3,436 students graduating from 62 Italian universities, surveyed at the time of graduation and one year after.
We find that those who study and stay in their home region, and those who study in a different region and return to their home one, are more likely to enter self-employment.
Salaried positions, on the contrary, are more appealing to those who, after graduation, move to a region different from home.
The decision to enter self-employment or to accept a salaried-job is mainly explained by individual characteristics, while the decision to move or stay is mostly affected by contextual factors.