In my master thesis I explore the invisible work of unemployed “young” people to enhance employability in the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on literature describing the shift from employment to employability, which places a constant need for individuals to invest in human capital. At the same time, more recent research has found that precarious employment and cyclical unemployment do not fully repay the invisible work of young people. Precarious jobs do not offer security and sustainability, thus preventing young people from entering social adulthood. In my master thesis "young people" are not defined on the basis of the age-stratified definitions of youth found in active employment policies, but on the basis of social conditions that strongly redefine the traditional life and career period and therefore also prevent chronologically older individuals from entering social adulthood. Through qualitative interviews with unemployed “young” people, I explore the process of enhancing employability and the effects of such work. The findings show that unemployed “young” people are actively working to enhance their employability through education and training, voluntary work, networking and identity work. I also note that some of the mechanisms to enhance employability also reflect mechanisms of invisible work that devalue work. The specific contribution of the thesis is to reveal the effects of investing in employability, showing that despite many efforts, “young” people remain trapped in a cyclical precarisation that does not allow them to enter social adulthood. At the same time, I note that the State, through its support mechanisms (active labour market policies), creates and maintains precariousness and creates the kind of individuals that society needs.
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