Purpose – There is a long period from completing studies to finding a permanent or temporary (but at least satisfactory) job in all European countries, especially in Mediterranean countries, including Italy. This paper aims to study the determinants of this duration and measure them, for the first time in a systematic way, in the case of Italy. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides several measures of duration, including education level and other criteria. Furthermore, it attempts to identify the main determinants of the long Italian transition, both at a macroeconomic and an individual level. It tests for omitted heterogeneity of those who are stuck at this important crossroads in their life within the context of parametric survival models. Findings – The average duration of the school-to-work transition for young people aged 18–34 years was 2.88 years (or 34.56 months) in 2017. A shorter duration was found for the highly educated; they found a job on average 46 months earlier than those with compulsory education. At a macroeconomic level, the duration over the years 2004–2017 was inversely related to spending in the labour market policy and in education, GDP growth, and the degree of trade-union density; however, it was directly related to the proportion of temporary contracts. At the individual level, being a woman, a migrant, or living in a densely populated area in the South are the risk factors for remaining stuck in the transition. After correcting for omitted heterogeneity, there is clear evidence of positive duration dependence. Practical implications – Positive duration dependence suggests that focusing on education and labour policy, rather than labour flexibility, is the best way to smooth the transition. Originality – This study develops our understanding of the Italian STWT regime by providing new and detailed evidence of its duration and by studying its determinants.

中文翻译：

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卡在十字路口？意大利从学校到工作的过渡期

目的–在所有欧洲国家，特别是在包括意大利在内的地中海国家中，从完成研究到找到永久或临时（但至少令人满意）的工作需要很长时间。本文旨在研究这一持续时间的决定因素，并以系统的方式首次对意大利进行测量。设计/方法/方法–本文提供了几种持续时间的度量，包括教育水平和其他标准。此外，它试图在宏观经济和个人层面上确定长期意大利转型的主要决定因素。它在参数化生存模型的背景下测试了那些陷入生命中重要十字路口的人的遗漏异质性。研究结果– 2017年，年龄在18-34岁之间的年轻人从学校到工作的平均过渡时间为2.88年（或34.56个月）。他们比义务教育平均提前了46个月找到工作。在宏观经济层面，2004-2017年的持续时间与劳动力市场政策和教育，GDP增长以及工会密度的程度成反比。但是，它与临时合同的比例直接相关。在个人层面上，是妇女，移民或居住在南部人口稠密的地区，是继续陷入过渡的危险因素。校正遗漏的异质性后，有明确的证据表明持续时间呈正相关。实际意义–持续时间的依赖性表明，着重于教育和劳工政策而不是劳动灵活性是平滑过渡的最佳方法。独创性–这项研究通过提供有关意大利STWT制度持续时间的新的详细证据并研究其决定因素，增进了我们对意大利STWT制度的理解。