Compared with young people who completed their studies in 1998 or 2004, young people leaving education in 2010 were more likely to leave the parental home before the end of their studies. However, they were also more likely to be living with their parents five years later, either because they had never left the parental home or because they had returned. The proportion of those who had stayed with their parents during the first five years of working life increased and the proportion of those setting up home as a couple fell, primarily for young people leaving secondary level education with or without qualifications. Girls and those with the most qualifications were more likely to move out and to do so earlier. Setting up home as a couple was often a reason for girls to leave home, whereas boys were more likely to leave home to live alone.

At the outset of working life, the link between a lack of employment and staying in the family home had become entrenched from generation to generation. But after a few years on the job market, having a job for a fixed term seemed to be increasingly less of an obstacle to living independently and having a permanent contract seemed to be becoming less of a prerequisite. Leaving the parental home could be facilitated by the development of new living arrangements such as shared rental. Given equal employment status, higher income increased the chances of moving out during the first five years of working life.