This paper examines the process and mechanism through which young people are differentiated and sorted into various locations in society during the stage of extended adolescence. It examines:(1) how social origin affects class position at the time of initial entry into the labor market, and (2) how social origin and the initial entry position affect current class position. The data come from the 2000, 2001, and 2002 Japanese General Social Surveys. The analysis is restricted to respondents who were 20 to 35 years old.
The analysis of the determinants of initial class position reveals that the father's class position and parental education have a significant influence on entry position. The effects of class origin and parental education are mediated through the youth's own educational attainment, so the direct effects of social origin on entry position were not clearly visible. For example, male adolescents whose fathers engaged in white-collar work have better access to professional -managerial positions and jobs in large firms than those of other class origins, because of their greater chances of receiving higher education. In addition, the assistance of schools and public employment offices in the transition from school to work and the immediate transition to work following graduation increased the chances of finding regular employment among males, and the assistance of schools and public employment offices increases the chances of finding regular employment, professional-managerial work, and employment in a large firm, among females. The attainment of current class position is strongly influenced by the entry class position: there is consistency in the class position between the two periods.
The entry position continues to affect later positions regardless of social origin, educational attainment, and labor market conditions. When youth are engaged in professional-managerial work or work for a large firm, they have a much higher chance of being in such a position at a later time than those who begin their careers otherwise. It is also found that beginning one's career in atypical or non-regular employment leads to an increased chance of being in that type of employment at a later time. In addition, if the youth unemployment rate is high at the time when young males first enter the labor market, this has an enduring negative effect on their chance of obtaining regular employment and professional- managerial jobs at a later period in life. Thus, “bad luck” at the time of entry into the labor market continues to affect later career progression among males.
