What’s the risk, does underaged drinking influence employment outcomes for young adults?

Background: Underaged alcohol consumption has rapidly declined in Australia, the impacts of which are yet to be fully understood. Adolescents have reported concern for how being underaged drinking may influence their reputation with employers, and a need to prioritise school performance in an environment with precarious employment futures as reasons for not drinking. This study aimed to determine whether underaged drinking influences employment as a young adult and whether this has changed as drinking has become less common.
Method: Data from two cohorts of 17-year-olds were extracted a long running Australian cohort study. The first cohort was taken from 2002-04, prior to the decline in underaged drinking, and a later cohort after the decline (2012-14). Regression models were used to determine whether abstinence, moderate or heavy drinking at 17 influenced employment status, being paid fairly, job satisfaction, financial situation satisfaction, and satisfaction with employment opportunities at 22 years of age, and whether this had changed across cohorts.
Results: Results indicated that individuals from the later cohort were significantly more likely to report getting paid fairly for their job (β=0.46, p=0.009), however underaged alcohol consumption was not significantly associated with this outcome. No other outcomes were significantly associated with cohort or alcohol consumption. 
Conclusion: Despite adolescents’ concerns about lasting damage to their reputation, or the need to make better use of their time, underaged drinking does not appear to significantly impact the likelihood of later employment or job satisfaction.