The `Discouraged Worker' Revisited: Post-16 Participation in Education South of the Border

A recent analysis of data from Scotland found evidence of `discouraged worker' effects. More young people stayed on in full-time education post-16 in areas of high adult unemployment than in areas of low unemployment; this was particularly true for those with middling-level qualifications. Using comparable data on English young people the paper attempts to replicate the Scottish analysis. Although evidence of local labour market effects is offered, no `discouraged worker' effects were found; in fact, more young people stayed on in areas of low unemployment. Some possible reasons for differences between the two countries, including the potential influence of different structures of post-16 educational opportunities, are explored.