The Relationship Between Higher Education and Labour Market in Greece: the Weakest Link?

Livanos, Ilias (2009): The Relationship Between Higher Education and Labour Market in Greece: the Weakest Link?

Abstract

The high level of graduate unemployment, even though has been acknowledged as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Greek labour market, has not attracted enough attention in the academic literature. This paper utilizes the recently available micro-data from the Greek Labour Force Survey in order to investigate how the employment situation of young (aged 35 and below) graduates varies according to their field of study. The findings suggest that graduates of disciplines that have high levels of private sector employment, such as Polytechnics and Computer Science, are in general better off in the Greek labour market. On the other hand, graduates of disciplines that are traditionally related to the needs of the public sector, such as Sociology and Humanities face poor employment prospects. The findings of this study highlight the need for drastic reforms of the Higher Education system.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: graduate unemployment, Greece, higher education, field of study, labour market
• Subjects: A - General Economics and Teaching > A2 - Economic Education and Teaching of Economics > A23 - Graduate; C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C3 - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models ; Multiple Variables > C31 - Cross-Sectional Models ; Spatial Models ; Treatment Effect Models ; Quantile Regressions ; Social Interaction Models

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