Taylor, J and Nguyen, A N (2003) Transition from school to first job: the influence of educational attainment. Working Paper. The Department of Economics, Lancaster University.
Abstract
This paper investigates the transition from high school to first job using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study 1988-2000. A proportional hazards model is estimated to identify the determinants of time-to-first-job. In contrast to earlier studies, there is strong evidence of positive duration dependence after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. Time-to-first-job is correlated with educational attainment and type of school program attended. Attending a vocational program reduces time-to-first-job, but dropouts who obtain the General Educational Development qualification do not improve their chances of getting a job more quickly. Family background is insignificant.