Young Workers without Formal Qualifications: Experience of Work and Connections to Career Adaptability and Decent Work

The purpose of this research on working young adults who are without formal education is to explore how they experience work, their career adaptability and if they view their work as decent. Participants were 154 young working adults, aged 18-29, and unqualified. It was found that participants worked mainly in low-skilled jobs, but many aspired to become professionals or technicians. Participants were significantly lower on concern and control sub-scales of the Career Adapt-Ability Scale (CAAS), compared to peers. Results support a proposition in Psychology of Working Theory that individuals with lower levels of career adaptability are less likely to engage in decent work. Results indicate that self-determination is not met at work, whereas work fulfills financial and social needs.