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In what situations are young people after dropping out from secondary education? A survey conducted among 2 935 dropouts, questioned 13 months on average after leaving school, shows that they are mostly unemployed or out of the labour market. However, a significant proportion of them are in employment or full-time training. The diversity of these young people's school experiences significantly affects the first steps in the school-to-work transition: experiences that are less painful and closer to full qualification increase employment, while very early leaving at a middle school level puts dropouts away from the labour market.