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Work-Related Training and Wages: An Empirical Analysis for Male Workers in Switzerland

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  • Gerfin, Michael

    (University of Bern)

Abstract

Work-related training is considered to be very important for providing the workforce with the necessary skills for maintaining and enhancing the competitiveness of the firms and the economy. On the individual level, the primary effect of training should be an increased productivity of the trained workers. This paper provides estimates of the effects of training on wages which can be seen as a lower bound for the effects on productivity. Based on panel data from the Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS) I estimate these effects using nonparametric matching methods. Training is measured either as firm-sponsored training or as any work-related training. The data show that multiple participation in work-related training is not a rare event. This complicates the analysis considerably because the evaluation of dynamic treatments is not yet fully developed. As a solution to this problem a heuristic difference-in-differences approach to estimate the incremental effect of further training events is used. The results indicate that it is important to account for multiple training events. Taken together, there are significant effects of work-related training on wages of roughly 2% for each training event. There is some evidence that workers who already have high earnings profit more from continuous work-related training.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerfin, Michael, 2004. "Work-Related Training and Wages: An Empirical Analysis for Male Workers in Switzerland," IZA Discussion Papers 1078, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp1078
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    Cited by:

    1. Yussof, Ishak & Ismail, Rahmah & Osman, Zulkifly, 2011. "Workers’ Competency, Performance and Competitiveness in Malaysia’s Private Education Sector," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 45, pages 61-70.
    2. Pavel V. Travkin, 2014. "The Returns To Training In Russia: A Difference-In-Differences Analysis," HSE Working papers WP BRP 56/EC/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    3. Kuckulenz Anja & Maier Michael, 2006. "Heterogeneous Returns to Training: An Analysis with German Data Using Local Instrumental Variables," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 226(1), pages 24-40, February.
    4. Gerfin, Michael, 2004. "Firm-Sponsored General Training in Frictional Labour Markets: An Empirical Analysis for Switzerland," IZA Discussion Papers 1077, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Travkin, Pavel, 2014. "The impact of the on-the-job training on Russian worker’s salary: The effect of abilities approach," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 33(1), pages 51-70.
    6. Wolfgang Lechthaler, 2009. "The interaction of firing costs and firm training," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 36(3), pages 331-350, August.
    7. Verónica Alaimo & Mariano Bosch & David S. Kaplan & Carmen Pagés & Laura Ripani, 2015. "Jobs for Growth," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 90977, February.
    8. Lang, Julia, 2012. "The aims of lifelong learning: Age-related effects of training on wages and job security," VfS Annual Conference 2012 (Goettingen): New Approaches and Challenges for the Labor Market of the 21st Century 62073, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    9. Burgert, Derik, 2006. "Betriebliche Weiterbildung und der Verbleib Älterer im Betrieb," MPRA Paper 5742, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Burgard, Claudia & Görlitz, Katja, 2011. "Continuous Training, Job Satisfaction and Gender – An Empirical Analysis Using German Panel Data," Ruhr Economic Papers 265, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    11. Anna Ruzik-Sierdzinska & Claudia Villosio & Michele Belloni & Maciej Lis & Monika Potoczna, 2013. "Age and productivity. Human Capital Accumulation and Depreciation," CASE Network Reports 0114, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    12. Michael Gerfin, 2003. "Firm-sponsored Work-Related Training in Frictional Labour Markets: An empirical analysis for Switzerland," Diskussionsschriften dp0317, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
    13. Grit Muehler & Michael Beckmann & Bernd Schauenberg, 2007. "The returns to continuous training in Germany: new evidence from propensity score matching estimators," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 209-235, November.
    14. Stefan Denzler & Jens Ruhose & Stefan C. Wolter, 2022. ""The double-dividend of training" - Labour market effects of work-related continuous education in Switzerland," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0196, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    15. Blasco, Sylvie & Crépon, Bruno & Kamionka, Thierry, 2012. "The Effects of On-the-job and Out-of-Employment Training Programmes on Labor Market Histories," CEPREMAP Working Papers (Docweb) 1210, CEPREMAP.
    16. Benoit Dostie & Marie-Pierre Pelletier, 2007. "Les rendements de la formation en entreprise," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 33(1), pages 21-40, March.
    17. Julia Lang, 2012. "The Aims of Lifelong Learning: Age-Related Effects of Training on Wages and Job Security," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 478, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Training; Wages; Nonparametric Matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • C14 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods: General

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