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This article provides a detailed decomposition analysis of the gender differences in workplace training throughout the working life with a particular focus on parental leave and supervisors using personnel records from a large German firm. Females obtain less training during the early career, and more at higher age. The timing of the training gap seems to be driven by diverging career paths associated with employment interruptions. However, we find no evidence for catching-up effects after parental leave. Furthermore, including supervisor-fixed effects cannot explain the gender differences in training. The training of both male and female employees is positively associated with the training of the supervisor.

Abstract:The present paper examines the wage effects of continuous training programs using individual-level data from the German Socio Economic Panel (GSOEP). In order to account for selectivity in training participation we estimate average treatment effects (ATE and ATT) of general and firm-specific continuous training programs using several state-of-the-art propensity score matching (PSM) estimators. Additionally, we also apply a combined matching difference-in-differences (MDiD) estimator to account for unobserved individual characteristics (e.g. motivation, ability). While the estimated ATE and ATT for general training are significant ranging between about 4 and 7.5 %, the corresponding wage effects of firm-specific training are mostly insignificant. Using the more appropriate MDiD estimator, however, we find a more precise and highly significant wage effect of about 5 to 6 %, though only for general training and not for firm-specific training. These results are consistent with standard human capital theory insofar as general training is associated with larger wage increases than firm-specific training. Furthermore, we conclude that firms may intend to use specific training to adjust to new job requirements, while career-relevant changes may be conditioned to general training.

Die Dis cus si on Pape rs die nen einer mög lichst schnel len Ver brei tung von neue ren For schungs arbei ten des ZEW. Die Bei trä ge lie gen in allei ni ger Ver ant wor tung der Auto ren und stel len nicht not wen di ger wei se die Mei nung des ZEW dar.Dis cus si on Papers are inten ded to make results of ZEW research prompt ly avai la ble to other eco no mists in order to encou ra ge dis cus si on and sug gesti ons for revi si ons. The aut hors are sole ly respon si ble for the con tents which do not neces sa ri ly repre sent the opi ni on of the ZEW.Download this ZEW Discussion Paper from our ftp server:ftp://ftp.zew.de/pub/zew-docs/dp/dp10047.pdf Non-technical summaryAccording to school entry regulations in most countries, the composition of school entrance cohorts is determined by a fixed cutoff date. This procedure creates inter-cohort differences in age and development since some of the children entering school have just turned six whereas others are almost seven. The differences in age and developmental status translate into differences in school performance which persist over almost the whole period of compulsory schooling. Although diminishing during secondary school, these effects might influence decisions like school entry and track choice. This might be particularly important in a system of early tracking as it is the case in Germany.Developmental disparities become visible for the first time when the school entrance decision is made. All German federal states rely on medical screenings of the school entering cohort as a form of compulsory health examination and to assure a minimum developmental level for school start. The German school entrance screenings are administered by government pediatricians. They thoroughly examine the health status of the children and perform tests on pre-academic skills such as cognitive development, social behavior or motor skills. At the end, the pediatrician decides whether to recommend the child to start compulsory primary schooling.This paper addresses the question of how early differences in age and development influence children's probability of being recommended for school and assesses whether developmental gaps close by delaying school entry. We use a unique administrative data set on the school entrance examination of all children in the German federal state of Brandenburg. Our results show that impairments in cognitive, socio-emotional and motor development as well as health are negatively related to the probability to receive a school recommendation. Moreover, younger children are less likely to be recommended for school. This occurs for two reasons: First, they show developmental impairments more often. Second, they have a lower probability of being recommended per se. Delaying school entry allows children to improve, although their developmental status remains below average. Especially the younger retained children catch-up more often.While cutoff rules determine school entry by age, entrance examinations consider also a child's developmental status. By no...

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