Labor Market Effects of Field of Study in Comparative Perspective An Analysis of 22 European Countries

Reimer, David; Noelke, Clemens; Kucel, Aleksander

Abstract:

This article seeks to provide one of the first systematic comparative analyses of labor market consequences associated with fields of study. Using data of 22 countries from the European Labor Force Surveys (2004 and 2005), we analyze how field of study affects unemployment and occupational status for university-educated graduates. Our core hypothesis is that relative differences between fields should increase with educational expansion at the university level. Results of multilevel two-step regressions generally confirm our expectations. The more students graduate from universities, the greater the differences in labor market chances of university graduates from different fields.

Year:

2008

Type of Publication:

Article

Keywords:

cross-national comparison; educational expansion; field of study; labor market; multilevel analysis

Journal:

International Journal of Comparative Sociology

Volume:

49

Number:

4-5

Pages:

233-256

Note:

DOI: 10.1177/0020715208093076