The influence of further education on occupational mobility in Switzerland

Abstract

Further education attainment is an important part of the work life, but its impact on occupational achievement is far less well understood than basic education. In this study, we examine the in£uence of further education on occupational upward and downward mobility and gender di¡erences in the in£uence. Further, we address selection bias involved in this process. The sample for the study includes both men and women from the 1945^51 and 1959^61 birth cohorts in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. We employ Cox's proportional hazards model to estimate the e¡ects of three di¡erent types of further education on the rate of upward and downward mobility, independent of basic education, work-related individual attributes, and labour-market factors. The ¢ndings show that further education aimed at a formal credential, such as advanced training and retraining, increases chances for upward mobility. We found that the association between credential-oriented further education and upward mobility is stronger for women than for men. It re£ects greater selectivity among female participants.We also found that further education participation has only a moderate negative e¡ect on downward mobility. Basic education remains an e¡ective measure against downward mobility.

Does training trigger turnover - or not?

“…Previous research, however, observes a positive effect of career training on job mobility (Dekker, De Grip, & Heijke, 2002). Retraining is found to positively affect mobility too, but for women only (Li et al, 2000). Finally, occupational updating has no significant effect on job mobility (Li et al, 2000;Dekker, De Grip, & Heijke, 2002).…”

“…Retraining is found to positively affect mobility too, but for women only (Li et al, 2000). Finally, occupational updating has no significant effect on job mobility (Li et al, 2000;Dekker, De Grip, & Heijke, 2002).…”

“…Sociological research to date has predominantly focused on the effects of training on status attainment. It has been shown that education obtained during work life increases occupational prestige and improves employment conditions (for an overview of these studies, see Li, König, Buchmann, & Sacchi, 2000). Far less attention has been paid to the impact of training on job mobility.…”

“…Next to occupational updating and career training, I distinguish a third training objective: retraining for a new occupation. 5 From a human capital point of view, the switch to a new occupation implies depreciation of initially invested human capital (Li et al, 2000). Workers will be interested in retraining when it corrects a wrong investment decision in the past.…”

“…5. Another training objective may be found in training aimed at a higher or second credential (Li et al, 2000). This so-called advanced training often facilitates entry into high-status occupations.…”