Bulgarian School Leaver Survey 2014 (BSLS 2014)

The research project aims at better understanding - school-to-work transition in contemporary Bulgaria - the role of social inequalities in those transitions - and the mechanisms behind educational and employment (un)success. A nationally representative school-leaver survey for Bulgaria was developed and implemented in 2014. 2100 young people aged 15-34 participated in the survey. Survey and data collection: More than 170 questions were included in this retrospective school-leavers and labour market entry survey following Kogan's et al. (2011) study on school-to-work transitions in 10 Central and Eastern European countries.

Retrospective data on school-to-work transitions as collected using using occupational history calendars. The questionnaire provides detailed information on the respondents’ educational background and their employment situation. With the analyses of the survey data and additional datasets young people’s passages from education to employment in Bulgaria can be described in the aftermath of the big recession in 2008/09.

This survey identified young people's pathways along different educational tracks to different positions in the labour market. Particular attention was paid to the operationalization of educational variables in the Bulgarian context, in consultation with the Ministry of Education. Similarly labour market outcomes variables and relevant socio-demographic characteristics were carefully drafted to suit the local contexts and diverse pathways of respondents.

The field work for the survey occurred from August 2013 to October 2014, including the preparatory phase, pilot survey, adjustment of questionnaire and methodology, and two phases of the main survey data collection starting January 26, 2014 through October 12, 2014. The survey target group of school leavers was defined as those who were residents of Bulgaria; were 15 to 34 years old; and had completed or stopped their education for the first time and for at least one year in the last 5 years.

A total of three samples were drawn: a main sample representative at national level (N=1500); a booster sample representative for the North-West region of Bulgaria (N=300); and a booster sample representative for the South-West region (N=300). A two-stage cluster sample structured by regional planning units (NUTS2) and size of the settlement was employed both for the main and for the booster samples. We achieved a response rate of 81 percent.

The project was co-financed by a grant from Switzerland through the Swiss Contribution to the enlarged European Union.