Calling it like they see it? Young adults’ discourses of employment and labour market inequalities

Purpose Work experiences in the early career phase can have a lasting impact on employment engagement and quality of life. Not all young adults have access to resources that support labour market success. Some may contend with barriers to employment connected to their social identities and circumstances which perpetuate disadvantage. This paper examines how young adults frame their early work experiences and the advantage or disadvantage they may face in the labour market. Design/methodology/approach We conducted qualitative interviews with 47 young adults (ages 18–35 years) from Ontario, Canada representing diverse and intersecting identities of race, gender, sexuality, disability, education, socioeconomic level and immigration status. The data were interpreted using discourse analysis and through an intersectional lens. Findings Participants framed their early work experiences according to discourses of privilege, need and luck. Discursive constructions revealed or obscured advantage or disadvantage within early work experiences and highlighted how young adults with various intersecting identities understood their employment possibilities and choices. Originality/value By focusing on discourses of early work experiences, we illustrate how young adults make sense of their trajectories exploring understandings of privilege along with oppression in uneven power relations and social structures. Adopting an intersectional approach, we offer a complex depiction regarding young adults’ understandings of privilege, disadvantage and the role of luck, and challenge ideological notions of merit, choice and agency navigating contemporary labour markets.