The employment success of graduates : individual and institutional barriers

University graduates face uncertain labour markets. A cross developed economies, a substantial proportion of graduates are in jobs for which they are overqualified (Barcena-Martin, Budria, & Moro-Egido, 2012; Frenette, 2004), at least at the start of their careers. There are also concerns about graduate unemployment, largely as a result of the decli ne in high skilled jobs relative to the increasing supply of new graduates (Brown, Lauder, & Ashton, 2011). Although graduate unemployment is less of a concern than in the years immediately following the 2008 financial crisis, the employment rate of recent graduates in some EU countries remains problematic; for example, in Italy and Greece rates are 45 and 44 per cent respectively in 2014 compared to the EU average of 76 per cent (Eurostat, 2015). Moreover, cohorts who graduate in recessionary economies have been shown to experience persistent, negative labour market consequences in terms of being stuck in lower-level occupations and accessing future career opportunities (Kahn, 2010; Oreopoulos, von Wachter, & Heisz, 2012 )