Abstract
The risks of precariousness and greater vulnerability of young people to the restrictive economic and financial policies of the last years in Portugal are significant changes in their educational and professional pathways. Transitions to the job market become uncertain and subjective, compromising young people’s ability to project their future and career opportunities. This article highlights the differentiation processes that create visible social inequalities in the professional transition itineraries. Combining a methodology that articulates official statistics and empirical evidence from studies, we carried out a critical analysis of the weaknesses of the Portuguese education system and labor market in the context of the European Union. Among the main results, we highlight the weaknesses of youth insertion, visible in the higher incidence of unemployment, precarious jobs and greater restriction in access to the protection of social rights. The (new) risks increase, emphasizing the individualization in the processes of recruitment and lack of careers and planning of the professional future, which contributes to an aggravation of (inter) generational and social inequalities in relation to work and employment.
Portugal; education; labor market; youth; citizenship