The Consequences of Being Different: Statistical Discrimination and the School-to-Work Transition
Abstract
When information about the true abilities of job-seekers and applicants are hard to get,
statistical discrimination by employers can be an efficient strategy in the hiring and wage
setting process. But statistical discrimination can induce costs, if labor relations cannot be
terminated in the short term and wages are fixed over a certain period. In this paper we use a unique longitudinal survey that follows the PISA 2000 students in their educational and worklife career. We test whether deviance in the PISA test scores from what one would have predicted based on observable characteristics, influences the probability to succeed in the transition from compulsory school into a firm-based apprenticeship and whether it can explain differences of the individual performances during training. Our results suggest that hard-toget information plays a significant role in the transition, but not always in a symmetric manner.
statistical discrimination by employers can be an efficient strategy in the hiring and wage
setting process. But statistical discrimination can induce costs, if labor relations cannot be
terminated in the short term and wages are fixed over a certain period. In this paper we use a unique longitudinal survey that follows the PISA 2000 students in their educational and worklife career. We test whether deviance in the PISA test scores from what one would have predicted based on observable characteristics, influences the probability to succeed in the transition from compulsory school into a firm-based apprenticeship and whether it can explain differences of the individual performances during training. Our results suggest that hard-toget information plays a significant role in the transition, but not always in a symmetric manner.
Date Issued
2011
Publication Type
Working Paper
Subjects
statistical discrimination school-to-work transition PISA
Language(s)
en
Author(s)
Wolter, Stefan C. |
Additional Credits
Publisher
Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA)
ISSN
2365-9793
Related URL(s)
http://ftp.iza.org/dp5474.pdf
Access(Rights)
restricted