This study has been carried out by the Research Centre for Education and Labour Market (ROA) as part of a long-range research project commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Sciences. The objective of the project is to develop an educationAabourmarket information system to help secondary and university students choose the right type of school and/or occupation (ROA 1988).The study reported on here sets out to disclose the factors underlying the development of the occupational pattern. The shares of occupational classes in each economic sector are taken as points of departure. The explanatory variables are technological progress and cyclical and structural sectoral developments. For each occupational class, an estimation is made with the help of a linear model, the estimation method being that of Weighted Lcast Squares. To permit several variables to be included in the equation, the data have been pooled over sectors and time. In two fifths of all cases, a model with explanatory variables has been chosen; in the remaining instances a sector-dummy model was found to suffice.

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In this study a cluster analysis is performed in order to define clusters of occupational groups according to their educational structure. The underlying assumption is that such groups with similar schooling profiles belong to the same labour-market segment and therefore offer opportunities for good forecasts of occupational manpower. Attention is paid to the optimal choice of a (dis)similarity criterion, the clustering method, and the clustering algorithms used for the problem at hand. In the analysis fourteen branches of study and four education levels are distinguished. This results in the formation of forty clusters, each characterized by combinations of branches and levels of education. It appears that this functional classification differs from the administrative International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) in several respects.

Ability, academic climate, and going abroad for work or pursuing a PhD** We investigate whether a creaming off of highly able students from Dutch universities is taking place. Therefore, we examine the relation between ability and the destination of recent graduates of Dutch universities. Students can choose to continue their academic career by investing in a PhD degree instead of working, taking into account that both options can be realized in the Netherlands as well as abroad. We also investigate whether these choices are affected by the climate in certain fields of study and universities. Using a data set of workers and PhD students who recently graduated from Dutch universities two probit equations are estimated simultaneously, one for the migration decision and one for the choice between working and pursuing a PhD. Our findings indicate that highly able graduates are significantly more likely than average graduates to go abroad. They invest more often in a PhD programme, which is positively correlated with their likelihood to go abroad. In addition, the climate promoting going abroad and starting PhD study is shown to have positive effects on the odds of going abroad and participating in a PhD programme. This particularly holds for the highly able.JEL classification: F22, I23

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