Housing autonomy of youth in Europe: do labour and housing policies matter?

The chapter focuses on the role of macro-contextual conditions such as employment protection legislation (EPL) and the level of public expenditure on housing policies in moderating the relationship between individual labour market position and housing autonomy of young Europeans. Micro-level results indicate that unemployed individuals have lower chances of living independently from the family of origin, compared to their employed peers. In terms of institutional differences, in segmented labour markets, where regular employment is protected and it is harder for unemployed young people to get a new job, the negative effect of unemployment on the chances of independent living is further exacerbated. However, no significant moderating role is observed for the level of protection of temporary contracts. Similarly, public policies aimed at supporting housing do not significantly moderate the (negative) relationship between unemployment and housing autonomy for young people in Europe, though qualitative aspects such as the level of expenditure and the design of such policies may matter.