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Wage Elasticity of the Teacher Supply in Switzerland

Author

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  • Wolter, Stefan C.

    (University of Bern)

  • Denzler, Stefan

    (Swiss Co-ordination Center for Research in Education)

Abstract

In order to learn more about the wage elasticity of the teacher supply in Switzerland, this paper estimates wages for teachers and non-teachers. The data used are ten surveys of graduates of all Swiss universities for the period of 1981-1999. The data allows us to estimate the wage elasticity for entry wages of upper secondary school teachers. In the cases examined, the wage differential is highly significant and shows a wage elasticity for the teacher supply of 0.12% to 0.18%. This elasticity is substantially lower than what has been found in the literature for other countries. It is probably due to the fact that teachers’ salaries are generally high in Switzerland - teachers here enjoy a positive wage differential over those in other occupations, the opposite of what is normally the situation elsewhere.

Suggested Citation

  • Wolter, Stefan C. & Denzler, Stefan, 2003. "Wage Elasticity of the Teacher Supply in Switzerland," IZA Discussion Papers 733, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp733
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    Cited by:

    1. Varga, Júlia, 2013. "A közalkalmazotti béremelés hatása a tanárok pályaelhagyási döntéseire [The effect of a public-sector pay increase on teachers attrition]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 579-600.
    2. Pavel V. Derkachev, 2015. "Where is a Teacher Happy in Russia? Indicators of Teachers’ Salaries," HSE Working papers WP BRP 28/PA/2015, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    3. Varga, Júlia, 2007. "Kiből lesz ma tanár?. A tanári pálya választásának empirikus elemzése [Who becomes a teacher today?. An empirical analysis of choosing the teaching profession]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(7), pages 609-627.
    4. Stefan C. Wolter & Stefan Denzler & Bernhard A. Weber, 2003. "Betrachtungen zum Arbeitsmarkt der Lehrer in der Schweiz," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 72(2), pages 305-319.
    5. Denzler, Stefan & Wolter, Stefan C., 2008. "Self-Selection into Teaching: The Role of Teacher Education Institutions," IZA Discussion Papers 3505, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Machin Stephen & Puhani Patrick A., 2005. "Special Issue on the Economics of Education – Policies and Empirical Evidence: Editorial," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 6(3), pages 259-267, August.
    7. Hof, Stefanie & Strupler Leiser, Mirjam & Wolter, Stefan C., 2011. "Career Changers in Teaching Jobs: A Case Study Based on the Swiss Vocational Education System," IZA Discussion Papers 5806, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Julia Varga, 2017. "The Effects of Policies Concerning Teachers’ Wages on Students’ Performance," Budapest Working Papers on the Labour Market 1701, Institute of Economics, Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.
    9. Stefanie Hof & Mirjam Strupler & Stefan C. Wolter, 2011. "Quereinsteiger in den Lehrberuf am Beispiel der schweizerischen Berufsbildung," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0059, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    10. Stefan Denzler & Stefan C. Wolter, 2009. "Laufbahnentscheide im Lehrberuf aus bildungsoekonomischer Sicht," Economics of Education Working Paper Series 0041, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    teachers; labour supply; wage elasticity; university graduates; Switzerland;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I2 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets

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