A1 Journal article (refereed)
Back to School : Labor-Market Returns to Higher Vocational Schooling (2019)

Böckerman, P., Haapanen, M., & Jepsen, C. (2019). Back to School : Labor-Market Returns to Higher Vocational Schooling. Labour Economics, 61, Article 101758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2019.101758

The research was funded by Strategic Research Council at the Research Council of Finland.

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Böckerman, Petri; Haapanen, Mika; Jepsen, Christopher

Journal or series: Labour Economics

ISSN: 0927-5371

eISSN: 1879-1034

Publication year: 2019

Volume: 61

Article number: 101758

Publisher: Elsevier

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2019.101758

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Partially open access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/65399

Abstract

This paper examines the labor-market returns to a new form of postsecondary vocational education: vocational master's degrees. We use individual fixed effects models on a matched sample of students and non-students from Finland to capture any time-invariant differences across individuals. We find that attendance in vocational master's programs leads to an earnings increase of more than seven percent five years after entry. The estimated effect remains positive even if selection on unobservables is twice as strong as selection on observables. Earnings gains are similar by gender and age, but they are marginally higher for those in the health sector than for those in the business or technology and trades sector.

Keywords: higher education degrees; master's degrees (polytechnic); educating oneself; labour market; wage level

Free keywords: vocational education; master's degree; labor-market returns; returns to attendance

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Related projects

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2019

JUFO rating: 2