Patterns in the occupational mobility network of the higher education graduates. Comparative study in 12 EU countries

Abstract: The article investigates the properties of the occupational mobility network (OMN) in 12 EU countries. Using REFLEX database we construct for each country an empirical OMN that reflects the job movements of the university graduates, during the first five years after graduation (1999 - 2005). The nodes are represented by the occupations coded at 3 digits according to ISCO-88 and the links are weighted with the number of graduates switching from one occupation to another. We construct the networks as weighted and directed. This comparative study allows us to see what are the common patterns in the OMN over different EU labor markets.