This study investigates how the effects of low‐wage employment and non‐employment on wage prospects vary depending on qualification. Based on theories on signalling effects, human capital and job search, we discuss why there may be heterogeneity in state dependence in both labour market states. We find that episodes of low‐wage employment incur a significantly lower risk of future non‐employment than episodes of non‐employment for low‐qualified workers. In contrast, for workers with a middle or high level of qualification the risk of non‐employment is not significantly different when being low‐paid instead of not employed.