Early work experience and the consequences for future career development: an analysis of employment of young people in the fast food and supermarket industries

This report examines the early work experiences of young people employed in the supermarket and fast food industries and the consequences of those experiences for their future career development. The research was undertaken in the context of major structural changes in the youth labour market, particularly the shift towards greater levels of part-time employment. The research findings are especially relevant to young women as they outnumber young men in both the supermarket and the fast food industries. The report draws on three key data sources: data from the 1996 Census; a survey of young people who had been employed at either McDonalds or Woolworths two years prior to the survey; and a survey of store managers in the two industries. To examine the extent of the effects on young people’s future career development, the authors examined several different indicators, including the skill levels of occupations held by young people, their views of perceived benefits of work in the two sectors, and how the young people fared in terms of seven measures of employment success over the two-year period covered by the survey. Overall, a number of findings suggest that the employment of young people in these two sectors is beneficial to future employment and acts as a ‘stepping stone’ to future careers. However, other findings suggest little or minimal effect on future career development. For example, compared with young people in other sectors, Census data revealed that a much higher proportion of young employees in these sectors hold low-skilled jobs, and respondents to the employee survey were more likely to be underemployed than Australian young people overall. The study also aimed to identify those workers who were most likely to succeed in using employment in these two sectors for long-term benefit. To achieve this, the authors focused on women versus men, non-students versus students, and early school leavers versus others. Show less