IRISH students tend to remain at school longer than their Scottish counterparts and a higher proportion of them find jobs or go on to further, education, according to a new FAS report.
However, almost three times as many Irish school leavers ultimately end up unemployed.
These confusing findings are accounted for in large part by differences in the educational and vocational training structures of the two regions.
In Ireland the response to rising unemployment among school leavers has been to delay their exit from the system, develop new school based vocational courses and expand the provision of third level education.
Scotland has opted for expanding training provisions for young people after they leave school. As a result, while one third of Irish school leavers go on to third level education, only one in six does so in Scotland.
Fewer than 10 per cent of Irish school leavers now go on training courses, including apprenticeships. In Scotland over one third do so. Scottish employers provide more training than their Irish counterparts and there is a wider range of occupational training for school leavers.
However, greater training provision for school leavers has not resulted in more jobs for young Scottish workers. While 35 per cent of Irish school leavers find full time employment, the figure for Scotland is 24 per cent.
On the other hand only 8 per cent of Scottish school leavers become unemployed, compared with 25 per cent of their Irish counterparts.