Summertime Blues: High School Jobs and the Transition to Work

Part-time jobs during high school provide one of the most commonly-used pathways into regular employment. This note discusses why such contacts are an important job search channel for young workers, and reports that Swedish students who could not return to a former employer due to a workplace closure have significantly worse labour market outcomes. Our results suggest that policies such as subsidizing summer jobs during recessions may ease the transition into work during adverse labour market conditions.