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The relative importance of type of education and subject area: empirical evidence for educational decisions

Author

Listed:
  • Curdin Pfister
  • Simone N. Tuor Sartore
  • Uschi Backes-Gellner

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence for individual educational investment decisions and to investigate the relative importance of two factors, the type of education (vocational vs academic) and subject area (e.g. commercial or health), in determining variance in earnings. Design/methodology/approach - Using a sample of 1,200 individuals based on the 2011 Swiss Adult Education Survey, Mincer-type earnings equations are estimated. The variance in earnings is decomposed with respect to the two factors mentioned above, which allows to quantify the relative contributions of type of education and subject area to variance in earnings. Findings - The results of the variance decomposition show that subject area explains nearly twice the variance in earnings compared with that explained by type of education. Social implications - As results show that earnings variance – and thereby risk – relate more to subject area than to type of education, this study suggests that for individuals caring about the risk of their educational decision the selection of a specific subject area is more relevant than the choice between vocational and academic tracks; in addition, educational policies as part of HRM policies should devote as much attention to the choice of subject areas as to vocational or academic education. This is especially important for companies or countries planning to introduce or to extend vocational education as part of their human resources strategies. Originality/value - This study is the first to show whether earnings vary more by type of education or by subject area.

Suggested Citation

  • Curdin Pfister & Simone N. Tuor Sartore & Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2017. "The relative importance of type of education and subject area: empirical evidence for educational decisions," Evidence-based HRM, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 5(1), pages 30-58, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:ebhrmp:ebhrm-05-2015-0019
    DOI: 10.1108/EBHRM-05-2015-0019
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    Cited by:

    1. Backes-Gellner Uschi & Lehnert Patrick, 2023. "Berufliche Bildung als Innovationstreiber: Ein lange vernachlässigtes Forschungsfeld," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, De Gruyter, vol. 24(1), pages 85-97, April.
    2. Uschi Backes-Gellner, 2021. "Insights into the Economic Benefits of VPET for Individuals: Theoretical and Empirical Results for Researchers and Practitioners," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0180, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Vocational education; Academic education; Subject area; Variance decomposition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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