A new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) examining career readiness among teenagers finds that many 15-year-olds remain uncertain about their future and continue to focus on a limited number of traditional occupations.
Drawing on data from the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) covering more than 80 countries and comparing trends from 2000 to 2022, the study presents one of the most extensive analyses to date of how young people’s job expectations align with labour market realities.
According to the OECD report, students’ job expectations have changed little over the past two decades and often bear little relationship to actual patterns of labour market demand.
Many young people continue to aspire to a narrow group of high-status professions, while interest in sectors facing skills shortages has remained largely unchanged since 2000.
Career choices are increasingly concentrated in professional roles that account for a smaller share of total employment. The OECD warns that this mismatch risks leaving employers unable to recruit in growth areas while some young people struggle to find suitable work.
The analysis also finds that students have never been more uncertain about their career prospects. Levels of confusion and anxiety about career preparation have risen in recent years, with uncertainty linked in longitudinal research to weaker employment outcomes later in life.
PISA data show that around one in four students across OECD countries expects to work in an occupation requiring further science training beyond compulsory education. This includes careers in science and engineering, health, information and communication technology (ICT), and technical roles.
However, career expectations differ by gender. Boys are more than twice as likely as girls to expect careers as engineers, scientists or architects and are far more likely to anticipate ICT roles, with 4.8% of boys compared with 0.4% of girls expecting to work in the field.
Girls are almost three times more likely than boys to expect careers in health professions such as medicine, nursing or veterinary work. Although overall interest in science-related careers is similar between boys and girls, their occupational preferences remain distinct.
The report finds that socio-economic background plays a significant role in shaping educational ambitions, often more strongly than academic performance. High-performing students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to expect to complete tertiary education than lower-performing peers from more advantaged families.
Confusion about how education pathways connect to specific careers is particularly pronounced among disadvantaged students. Many report concerns about whether their studies will lead to stable employment.
The OECD highlights that too few students participate in career development activities most strongly associated with successful transitions into work. Experiences such as workplace visits, job shadowing and direct engagement with employers remain limited in many countries.
Disadvantaged students are less likely to access these opportunities, reinforcing existing inequalities. The report calls for earlier and more sustained career guidance systems, including regular interaction with people in work, to help young people better understand the range of available occupations and the routes into them.
The OECD concludes that stronger career development support and closer links between education and employment are essential to reduce the gap between teenage aspirations and labour market needs and to support more effective school-to-work transitions.
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