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Why Do French Engineers Find Stable Jobs Faster than PhDs?
[Pourquoi les ingénieurs se trouvent-ils leur premier emploi stable plus rapidement que les docteurs?]

Author

Listed:
  • David N Margolis

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Egidio Luis Miotti

    (CEPN - Centre d'Economie de l'Université Paris Nord - Université Sorbonne Paris Nord)

Abstract

This paper studies why PhDs in France take longer to find stable jobs than engineers. Using data from CEREQ's "Génération 2004" survey, we show that job finding rates of PhDs are lower than those of engineers and document the differences in their observable characteristics and fields of study. We show that this phenomenon is due to multiple factors: heterogeneity in student characteristics along observable and unobservable dimensions and fields of study, directed search toward public sector positions (especially professors) among PhDs and, in all likelihood, reservation wages of PhDs for private sector jobs that are "too high" relative to their value of marginal product.

Suggested Citation

  • David N Margolis & Egidio Luis Miotti, 2021. "Why Do French Engineers Find Stable Jobs Faster than PhDs? [Pourquoi les ingénieurs se trouvent-ils leur premier emploi stable plus rapidement que les docteurs?]," Post-Print halshs-03467084, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-03467084
    DOI: 10.3917/reco.724.0555
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-03467084v1
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • I23 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Higher Education; Research Institutions
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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