An integrative approach to managerial and professional careers in post-industrial labour markets

Within the dynamic nature of post-industrial labour markets, managerial and professional careers have witnessed major transformations in recent decades. This paper presents an integrative approach to analyzing managerial and professional careers using a career field and habitus model based on the framework of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. This approach examines the correlation between personal characteristics of graduates from different Austrian educational institutions and early career outcomes, and delineates the impact of higher education, as a key element within social structure. Possible explanations for the development of early managerial and professional careers are offered, with suggested ideas to conceptualize careers as reflecting the values, aspirations, and socio-structural characteristics of specific groups. A first empirical analysis underscores group differences in socio-economic variables between the two graduate groups. However, results for group differences in psychological factors and career outcomes suggest a high degree of standardisation within the entry stage of careers. The last section of this paper discusses some major limitations of these findings and implications of the career field and habitus concepts for future research on theory development and organizational practice.