Work

Business cycles and school‐to‐work transitions for vocational students: the role of general skills and educational opportunities

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This paper examines whether general skills and universal access to higher education shape vocational students' school‐to‐work transitions during recessions. We study how increased unemployment affects post‐completion outcomes across institutional regimes that differ in curricular emphasis on general skills and access to higher education – allowing us to identify effects of general skills alone and combined with access to higher education. Relative to a setting with limited general skills and no universal access to higher education, combining general skills with universal access to higher education more than halves labour‐market scarring on earnings over the first six years after completion. General skills alone do not meaningfully affect labour‐market scarring.

Source: Scandinavian Journal of Economics

DOI: 10.1111/sjoe.70048

Authors: Kari Vea Salvanes, Asgeir Skålholt

Institutions: Fafo Foundation, Nordic Institute for Studies in Innovation, Research and Education

Language: English

Topic: Education and Labor Relations

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Quality education, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,470