The effects of unemployment on the psycho‐social development of school‐leavers

School‐leavers deal with important developmental tasks which are to some extent interwoven with the transition from school to the adult work world. But many school‐leavers are currently being denied work opportunities. This study used Erikson's notions of psycho‐social development to investigate the impact of unemployment on students leaving school and attempting to secure their first job. Those who found work, particularly girls, showed significant psycho‐social development while those who returned to school or were unemployed showed none.