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Young Adult Social Networks and Labour Market Attachment: Interpersonal Dynamics that Shape Perspectives on Job Attainment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2015

JOHN R. GRAHAM ,
MICHEAL L. SHIER  and
MARILYN EISENSTAT
JOHN R. GRAHAM
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Florida Atlantic University, Florida, USA email: [email protected]
MICHEAL L. SHIER
Affiliation:
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Canada email: [email protected]
MARILYN EISENSTAT
Affiliation:
Retired, formerly with PEACH – Promoting Education and Community Health, Canada email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Following a qualitative study design with young adults (aged seventeen to twenty-nine) of a racialised minority status (n = 36) in a low-income community in Toronto, Canada, we found that social relationships and dynamics greatly influenced perspectives towards labour market success. Respondents identified that interpersonal relationships with employers, family members and neighbourhood/community members influenced their perseverance and motivation for upward social mobility through securing and maintaining employment. The findings highlight the fundamental relationship between perceptions of upward social mobility and individual social capital. In particular, the wide array of social networks that can influence the perspectives of racial minority young adults – both positively and negatively. The findings extend contemporary discussions about the relationship between social capital and career aspirations among racial minority young adults, to include a spectrum of interrelated social networks that collectively aid in improving personal development. While contemporary discussions focus on the utility of informal knowledge sharing about career development and post-secondary attainment, the findings here demonstrate the importance of policy and programme solutions that support the mobilisation of a wider array of embedded social resources, within the social networks of racial minority young adults, that help support positive perceptions towards upward social mobility.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 44 , Issue 4 , October 2015 , pp. 769 - 786
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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