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Education, Job Search and Re-employment Outcomes among the Unemployed

Author

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  • Riddell, W. Craig

    (University of British Columbia, Vancouver)

  • Song, Xueda

    (York University, Canada)

Abstract

This study assesses the effects of education on both job search intensity and re-employment success for unemployed workers. Given that the positive correlation between education and job search intensity or re-employment success is likely to be confounded by the endogeneity of education, we make use of data on compulsory schooling laws to create instrumental variables to assess the causal effects of education. Based on data from the Labour Force Survey and the Canadian Census, we find that education both significantly increases job search intensity and significantly improves re-employment success for the unemployed. The evidence on job search intensity provides insights into one potential mechanism through which education may increase the probability of re-employment following unemployment.

Suggested Citation

  • Riddell, W. Craig & Song, Xueda, 2011. "Education, Job Search and Re-employment Outcomes among the Unemployed," IZA Discussion Papers 6134, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6134
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Alexander Mosthaf, 2014. "Do Scarring Effects of Low-Wage Employment and Non-Employment Differ BETWEEN Levels of Qualification?," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 61(2), pages 154-177, May.
    2. Ronald Bachmann & Daniel Baumgarten, 2013. "How do the unemployed search for a job? – Evidence from the EU Labour Force Survey," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 2(1), pages 1-25, December.
    3. Xueda Song, 2013. "The effects of technological change on schooling and training human capital," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 23-45, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    education; adaptability; unemployment; job search; causal effects; compulsory schooling laws;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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