Introduction

The work/welfare nexus is still a subject of political dispute and redefinition. So are the criteria for the societal recognition of different kinds of work-related activities throughout the life course as well as the relations between life-course stages. The particular implications for the nature and quality of citizenship of young people exposed to the rules of a youth labour market embedded in a welfare context provide the general frame of reference for the discussion in this chapter, setting the scene for the more specific chapters that follow. The aim of this chapter is to identify the specific tensions and contradictions resulting from such processes of redefinition for the life-course transition of young people into national (and indeed transnational) labour markets within Europe. The different arguments concerning the relationships between youth, the labour market and citizenship throughout the chapter are drawn together in a final discussion of what we call the ‘dilemma of youth transitions’. In reviewing the evidence, we point to several key issues relating to the impact of gender and ethnicity on labour market prospects; these, however, are dealt with more fully in subsequent chapters (see, for example, Chapter Seven by Craig et al on ‘race’ and ethnicity, and Chapter Five by Bradley on gender). The comparative overview of differences between social protection policies for young people across Europe, provided by Jones in Chapter Two, provides an empirical reference point for many arguments made here with regard to the different ‘dimensions’ of youth citizenship.

The following section frames the issue of youth and the labour market by looking at the current re-evaluation of paid work and employment as the basic feature of individual life. Despite considerable national differences in its actual legal status, work is identified as a major determinant of social citizenship and integration. The second section addresses some conceptual issues related to the changing nature of labour markets and youth citizenship. We briefly discuss the interaction between globalisation and labour markets, reconstruct an approach to citizenship from a youth perspective, and highlight policy choices for the conceptualisation and practical enforcement of youth citizenship in relation to employment.