Work experience during higher education and post-graduation occupational outcomes: A comparative study on four European countries

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between work experience acquired during higher education and post-graduation labour market outcomes in four European countries: Germany, Italy, Norway and Spain. A theoretical framework that shows in which institutional contexts work experience may be a 'competitive advantage' for young graduates is developed. In the empirical analysis, data from the Higher Education and Graduate Employment in Europe (CHEERS) and Research into Employment and Professional Flexibility (REFLEX) surveys are used to examine the effect of a typology of student employment (accounting for both length and coherence of work experience with the field of study attended) on several occupational outcomes 4-5 years after graduation. The empirical results show that, in Italy and especially in Spain, work activities during tertiary education are associated with better labour market positions after graduation: any type of work experience increases employability and reduces the risk of unemployment, and furthermore, previous work experience -especially when coherent with the field of study -decreases the probability of skill mismatch in future occupations. The effect of student employment, however, is smaller for most outcomes in Germany and negligible in Norway.

Social Inequalities in Student Employment and the Local Labour Market

“…As such, job conditions are more likely to have a negative impact on academic success in higher education (Creed et al 2015); they might be an important but previously overlooked dimension of educational inequality. In addition, positive effects of qualifications from highquality student jobs on labour market opportunities upon graduation (Passaretta and Triventi 2016;Sanchez-Gelabert et al 2017) may represent another dimension of inequality. As students from privileged backgrounds are more likely to benefit from such qualification-related returns, intergenerational inequalities can be perpetuated, allowing social differentiation among graduates from higher education in recruitment to high-status jobs.…”

“…On the one hand, working while studying may have a negative impact on academic results (Behr and Theune 2016;Hovdhaugen 2015;Neyt et al 2017;Triventi 2014); on the other hand, there may be several benefits. These benefits can be divided into immediate monetary returns and long-term returns of work experience gained from on-the-job training that will pay off upon post-graduation labour market entry (Passaretta and Triventi 2016;Sanchez-Gelabert et al 2017;Weiss et al 2014). Although the former can be gained from any form of paid work, the latter requires the job to qualify the student for later entry to his or her chosen professional field-something we refer to as "qualification-related" returns from "quality" jobs (for other work-based benefits, see for example Creed et al 2015).…”

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“…While many individuals participate in paid employment during higher education, a substantial proportion of university students either fully or partially abstains from paid employment during their studies (Passaretta & Triventi, 2015;Perna, 2010;Weiss et al, 2014). Without accounting for the endogeneity of work experience in explaining variation in adult skill, estimates of the strength of association between educational attainment and adult skill, and between work experience and adult skill may be biased (Mellander, 2014).…”

What do student jobs on graduate CVs signal to employers?

“…Indeed, to date the literature has focussed on measuring the effect of student work on later employment outcomes. A majority of these studies found a positive effect on labour market outcomes such as employment rates, wages, job quality, and job match quality (Ruhm, 1997;Light, 2001;Brennan, Blasko, Little, & Woodley, 2002;Hotz, Xu, Tienda, & Ahituv, 2002;Häkkinen, 2006;Joensen 2009;Geel & Backes-Gellner, 2012;Jewell, 2014;Passaretta & Triventi 2015), while, some studies on the other hand found no effect of student employment on later labour market success (Hotz et al, 2002;Baert et al, 2016). It is nevertheless important to note that the type and timing of the student work plays a non-negligible role.…”