Measuring Young Graduates’ Job Quality Through a Composite Indicator

The aim of the article is to propose a job quality composite indicator (JQCI) by which to measure the quality of young graduates’ jobs. We design JQCI by grouping jobs’ objective and perceived characteristics into three dimensions—economic, professional, and work–life balance—following a theory-driven approach, and weighting each dimension according to its importance. We apply the resulting JQCI to a sample of Italian graduates 3 years after graduation and validate it by measuring their motivation to leave their jobs, assuming that poor quality could be a reason to want to leave a job. We find that the professional dimension scores the highest. Relevant differences in job quality are related to individual (gender, degree level, disciplinary field, whether the graduate worked while studying) and organizational characteristics (company size). Implications for policy-makers and for firms interested in attracting and retaining Generation Y workers are discussed.