Pathways to a stable labour market position through the narratives of people coming from a disadvantaged background in Pécs

Abstract

A large body of research shows that vulnerable people face limited choices when deciding on educational or labour market opportunities. Their decisions are strongly influenced by a number of factors (e.g. their ethnic background, family circumstances or previous schooling) and limit their possibilities to realize their room of manoeuvre. The study focuses on nine out of 40 people from an in-depth interview conducted in 2021-2022 who have achieved stable labour market positions. The practical application of the Capability Approach reveals the discrepancies between the perceived and the real opportunities. In addition, based on the narratives of the interviewees who were considered successful, it is possible to define the ‘changes in viewpoints’ and the related factors in the specific institutional environment of Pécs that helped to reduce these discrepancies and, as a consequence, to make pathways available that led to their relative success in the labour market. By grouping the nine interviewees into three, it becomes easier to understand the role of the family in the change of viewpoints and thus the substantive differences behind the interviewees’ choices. At the same time, two important common factors stand out for all 9 interviewees — unlike the other interviewees who have already entered adulthood: the role of parents who worked continuously even in times of crisis and thus provided direct or indirect models; and the role of the institutional system of Pécs in leading the interviewees through crises, notably in the case of Gandhi Secondary Grammar School in Pécs and some civil society organizations. They highlight the role of Pécs as a city with a high level of human services in Hungary.