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The Effect of Economic Downturns on Apprenticeships and Initial Workplace Training: A Review of the Evidence

Author

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  • Brunello, Giorgio

    (University of Padova)

Abstract

The existing empirical evidence on the relationship between apprenticeships, initial workplace training and economic downturns, is relatively scarce. The bottom line of this literature is that ratio of apprentices to employees tends to be (mildly) pro-cyclical and to decline during a recession, with the notable exception of the Great Depression, when it rose (at least in England). When broader measures of training are considered, which exclude apprentices, the weight of the evidence is in favour of counter-cyclical training incidence. This paper suggests that a possible reconciliation of these findings is based on recognizing that firms may have incentives to train incumbents during a downturn and at the same time to reduce the recruitment and training of young employees, who are engaged in the transition from school to work.

Suggested Citation

  • Brunello, Giorgio, 2009. "The Effect of Economic Downturns on Apprenticeships and Initial Workplace Training: A Review of the Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 4326, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4326
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Franziska Meyer & Oliver Winkler, 2023. "Place of Residence Does Matter for Educational Integration: The Relevance of Spatial Contexts for Refugees’ Transition to VET in Germany," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-30, February.
    2. Thomas Bolli & Guillaume Morlet, 2023. "Does human capital theory govern the relationship between training provision and the business cycle? Evidence from Switzerland," French Stata Users' Group Meetings 2023 26, Stata Users Group.
    3. Mueller, Barbara & Wolter, Stefan C., 2011. "The Consequences of Being Different: Statistical Discrimination and the School-to-Work Transition," IZA Discussion Papers 5474, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Daniel Goller & Stefan C. Wolter, 2021. "“Too shocked to search” The COVID-19 shutdowns’ impact on the search for apprenticeships," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 157(1), pages 1-15, December.
    5. Grace Weishi Gu, 2018. "Employment and the Cyclical Cost of Worker Benefits," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 28, pages 96-120, April.
    6. Dietz Daniel & Zwick Thomas, 2020. "Training in the Great Recession – Evidence from an Individual Perspective," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 240(4), pages 493-523, August.
    7. Ilse Tobback & Dieter Verhaest & Stijn Baert, 2020. "Student Access to Apprenticeships: Evidence from a Vignette Experiment," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 435-465, July.
    8. Pouliakas, Konstantinos & Wruuck, Patricia, 2022. "Corporate Training and Skill Gaps: Did COVID-19 Stem EU Convergence in Training Investments?," IZA Discussion Papers 15343, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Baldi, Guido & Brüggemann-Borck, Imke & Schlaak, Thore, 2014. "The Effect of the Business Cycle on Apprenticeship Training: Evidence from Germany," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 35(4), pages 412-422.
    10. Samuel Muehlemann & Harald Pfeifer & Bernhard Wittek, 2020. "The effect of business cycle expectations on the German apprenticeship market: Estimating the impact of Covid-19," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0171, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    11. Samuel Lüthi & Stefan C. Wolter, 2020. "Are apprenticeships business cycle proof?," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 156(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Jens Mohrenweiser & Thomas Zwick & Uschi Backes‐Gellner, 2019. "Poaching and Firm‐Sponsored Training," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 57(1), pages 143-181, March.
    13. Paul Ryan, 2011. "Apprenticeship: between theory and practice, school and workplace," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0064, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW), revised Oct 2011.
    14. Iammarino, Simona & Guy, Frederick & Filippetti, Andrea, 2019. "Regional disparities in the effect of training on employment," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 87466, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Bellmann Lutz & Gerner Hans-Dieter & Leber Ute, 2014. "Firm-Provided Training During the Great Recession," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 234(1), pages 5-22, February.
    16. Mühlemann, Samuel & Wolter, Stefan C. & Wüest, Adrian, 2009. "Apprenticeship Training and the Business Cycle," IZA Discussion Papers 4460, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. Thomsen, Stephan L. & Trunzer, Johannes, 2020. "Did the Bologna Process Challenge the German Apprenticeship System? Evidence from a Natural Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 13806, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Bertoni Marco & Brunello Giorgio, 2022. "Training during recessions: recent European evidence," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, January.
    19. Dummert, Sandra & Umkehrer, Matthias, 2021. "The Short-Run Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Vocational Education in Germany," IAB-Discussion Paper 202122, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    20. Laporte, Christine & Mueller, Richard, 2010. "The Persistence Behaviour of Registered Apprentices: Who Continues, Quits, or Completes Programs?," CLSSRN working papers clsrn_admin-2010-21, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 27 May 2010.
    21. Guglielmo Ventura, 2020. "What future for apprenticeships after coronavirus?," CVER Briefing Notes 012, Centre for Vocational Education Research.
    22. Dostie, Benoit, 2010. "A Competing Risks Analysis of the Determinants of Low Completion Rates in the Canadian Apprenticeship System," CLSSRN working papers clsrn_admin-2010-29, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 21 Oct 2010.
    23. Katarina Wessling & Andreas Hartung & Steffen Hillmert, 2023. "School-to-Work Transitions under Unequal Conditions: A Regionalised Perspective on the ‘Discouraged Worker’ Hypothesis," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    economic downturns; apprenticeship training;

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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