Intra-European Youth Labour Migrations in the Context of Contemporary Career Theories

The objective of project WORKMOBIL is to delve into the contemporary phenomenon of intra-European labor migration among young individuals, exploring it from demographic, sociological, and psychological angles. We aim to elucidate the scope and structure of labor migration among young people to and from Croatia over the past five years by scrutinizing existing statistical data. Employing both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, our study will delve into several key aspects. Firstly, we will investigate the employment intentions of young Croatians seeking work abroad, employing the recent Career self-regulation model (Hirschi & Koen, 2021) as a conceptual framework. Additionally, we will explore the intentions of young workers who have migrated to European countries and their desire to return to Croatia, along with the motivations driving young European workers to seek employment within Croatia. Furthermore, we will examine the perception of professional well-being among young workers in Croatia. Using an experimental approach, we will analyze the influence of various professional and contextual factors on decision-making regarding potential employment opportunities in European countries. Project WORKMOBIL tempts to offer a comprehensive understanding of migration dynamics, supplementing existing studies by placing emphasis on motivational factors as crucial psychological determinants of employment intentions within European contexts. This study stands out for its multifaceted examination of the motivational processes underlying the desire for employment abroad, and it will also contribute to the validation of the new Career self-regulation model (Hirschi & Koen, 2021) through its application to a sample of young Croatian workers. Istraživački tim / Research team Iva Šverko, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2542-7468 Toni Babarović, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0838-3205 Filip Majetić, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8685-7248 Miroslav Rajter, Sveučilište u Zagrebu, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2608-3196 Mirta Blažev, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3712-5109 Mara Šimunović, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3821-308X Dora Popović, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3716-8435 Ivo Turk, Institut Ivo Pilar, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6090-1327 Mato Škrabalo, Ministarstvo vanjskih i europskih poslova Mateja Sedmak, Science and Research Centre Koper, Slovenija, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7522-2025 Bart Wille, Ghent University, Belgija, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0800-2732 Iva Černja Rajter, Institut Ivo Pilar