Predictors of employment, unemployment and further study among school‐leavers

Data from a prospective study of Australian school‐leavers were analysed by hierarchical discriminant function analyses in order to determine the extent to which future occupational status could be predicted from measures obtained while students were still at school. Future involvement in tertiary education could be predicted up to five years later on the basis of current rated academic potential. Future unemployment could be predicted up to three years later on the basis of the demographic variables of ethnic origin, socio‐economic status and unemployment within the family. Although those who subsequently became unemployed also differed from the other groups in terms of personality and attitudes, the latter provide little predictive power over that based on the background and academic potential variables.