6533b863fe1ef96bd12c789b
RESEARCH PRODUCT
More skilled, better paid : labour-market returns to postsecondary vocational education
Christopher JepsenMika HaapanenPetri Böckermansubject
Economics and Econometricslabor productivitypalkatPostsecondary education0502 economics and businessEconomicshenkinen pääomaMarket returnhuman capital050207 economicsMatching methodsta511ansiotasoammatillinen koulutusskillsEarningsField (Bourdieu)05 social sciencesAttendancetaidot050301 educationpolicy relevant economicsoccupational choiceosaaminenVocational educationDemographic economics0503 educationpalkkausdescription
Outside the USA, relatively little is known about the labour-market returns to postsecondary vocational (or polytechnic) education. Yet, polytechnics in Europe are distinct from US community colleges. This paper focuses on the labour-market returns to polytechnic attendance in Finland, where polytechnics are representative of many European countries. Using matching methods and longitudinal administrative data, we find that, compared to individuals with no postsecondary education, students who attend polytechnics have higher annual earnings of €3,300 to €3,700 and employment gains of 2.5 to 6.6 percentage points 10 years after the entry decision. However, the returns vary by personal characteristics and field of study. peerReviewed
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-12-21 | Oxford Economic Papers |