Occupational careers and longitudinal data: Tools and perspectives of research

Over the last years, the start of an increasing number of longitudinal researches and the development of suitable techniques of analysis have made possible the study of an increasing number of questions about social mobility and individual careers. Yet there is not just one way to face the study of careers. For the richness of the information they contain, longitudinal data offer the possibility to carry out different types of analysis according to the different questions of research. In this article four different approaches to the study of work-life careers will be introduced. The objective is twofold. On one hand, the study intends to offer a brief introduction to the most recent and sophisticated techniques that can be used for the analysis of careers. On the other hand, the article aims to point out the theoretical contribution that each technique can give to the debate on social mobility. The main potentialities and limits of the techniques will be stressed too. The techniques introduced in this article represent a fruitful approach for the study of work-life histories and occupational careers. Nevertheless they can be used for the analysis of all kinds of social careers.