Presentazione all'Università di Greenwich, "Youth Worklessness: Bridging Academic Research and Policy Practice", 23 marzo 2012 http://www2.gre.ac.uk/about/schools/business/services/events/events/current/youth-worklessness-bridging-academic-research-and-policy-practice

1. Youth and social capital: the role
of online social networks
Ivana Pais
Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Milan, Italy
ivana.pais@unicatt.it

2. Social network/capital in job search
• Granovetter (1973): “strength of weak ties”
• Coleman (1990): “appropriable social
organisations”
How social networks influence behaviours of
networkers and how these individuals can use
networks to pursue their specific aims?
• Burt (1992): “structural holes”
• Lin (2001): “social resources”

3. However
• For youth strong social ties are more
important as professional contact networks
are not yet developed
• SC does benefit individual Jobseekers, but
more so those who start with an advantage
• Inequalities are underlined and inefficiencies
occur between offer and search

4. Internet job search
• IJS is a very low-cost job search method (Kuhn
and Skuterud 2004)
• Online jobsearch is 20% more likely to have a
positive result regardless of age, education,
sex and length of time spent (Carlino 2011)

5. But
• Trade-off between quantity and quality of
information (Fountain 2005, Marchal, Mellet
and Rieucau 2007)
• IJS gives 'added value' and does not replace
traditional methods
• Digital divide (Fountain 2005; Kuhn and
Skuterud 2004)

6. From web 1.0 to web 2.0
Age difference is a factor in internet use but has the use
facilitated job search?
Web 1.0 shows no change
Has web 2.0 opened new horizons?

7. Social network sites
• SNS are a web-based services that allow
individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-
public profile within a bounded system, (2)
articulate a list of other users with whom they
share a connection, and (3) view and traverse
their list of connections and those made by
others within the system (Boyd and Ellison
2007)
• Social network sites as “intentional
organisation” (Coleman)

8. Business social networks: an age-
levelling service?
• “With these tools age differences • “Participants here tend to be
do not exist. When you meet more experienced, which is not
someone in person, age is linked to age, gender or ethnicity”
something that affects the (LinkedIn Q&A, man, consultant)
relationship, with LinkedIn the • “I can't say that I've even thought
first impression is not based on about it, so I'd say no. Social
age and even when you meet off media is an equalizer in that
line, age continues to be respect; what matters is what you
irrelevant” (man, temporary know, how you share, and the
manager, 71 years old) time you put into it” (LinkedIn
• “I dress in a way that makes me Q&A, man, General Manager at
appear older, I have grown a Web Industries)
beard for that reason. Be­cause
otherwise you don’t work. Via
internet you don’t need it” (man,
entrepreneur, 22 years old) (Carini, Pais 2011)

9. THE ITALIAN SITUATION

10. Youth unemployment rates (15-24 ys)
30
25
20
EU27
15 UK
IT
10
5
0
Unemployment rates Youth unemployment rates Source:
Eurostat 2011

11. Neet
30,0
25,0
20,0 European Union (27
countries)
15,0
United Kingdom
10,0
5,0 Italy
0,0
From 15 From 20 From 25 From 30
to 19 to 24 to 29 to 34
years years years years Source:
Eurostat 2010

12. University graduates
• Lower percentage of university graduates
• Increase in numbers of unemployed
• Drop in permanent jobs contracts
• Lower salaries that don’t reflect cost of living

13. Methods used for seeking work
90,0
80,0
70,0
60,0
50,0
40,0
30,0
20,0 European Union (27 countries)
10,0 United Kingdom
0,0 Italy
Source: Eurostat
2011Q3

14. Internet use and activities
90
80
70
60
50
40
European Union (27 countries)
30
United Kingdom
20
Italy
10
0
frequently participating participating job search
using the in social in or sending
internet networks professional an
(facebook, networks application
twitter, etc.) (LinkedIn,
Xing, etc.)

15. Internet use in Italy by age
100
90
80
70 internet
60
social network (Facebook,
50 Twitter…)
40 online job search
30
20 professional network
10 (LinkedIn, Xing..)
0
>=75
6-10
11-14
15-17
18-19
20-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-59
60-64
65-74
Source: Istat 2011

16. “SOCIAL RECRUITING” IN ITALY

17. Survey
• Online survey carried out by Adecco Italy
between November 2011 and January 2012
• 503 head hunters
• 9.100 job seekers

26. Implications for practice and policy
• Social networks show great potential to build
weak ties no matter how little experience you
have
• For the moment this potential is unrealized
• People need to learn ₺best use₺
– What platform is the best for my needs
– How to maintain a certain level of privacy
– Using the platform as a professional niche network