Labor Market Effects of High School Science Majors in a High STEM Economy

Tarun Jain, Abhiroop Mukhopadhyay, Nishith Prakash and Raghav Rakesh ()
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Raghav Rakesh: Michigan State University

No 11934, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper explores the association between studying science at the higher secondary stage and labor market earnings using nationally representative data on high school subject choices and adult outcomes for urban males in India. Results show that those who studied science in high school have 22% greater earnings than those who studied business and humanities, even after controlling for several measures of ability. These higher earnings among science students are further enhanced if the students also have some fluency in English. Moreover, greater earnings are observed among individuals with social and parental support for translating science skills into higher earnings. Science education is also associated with more years of education, likelihood of completing a professional degree, and among low ability students, working in public sector positions.

Keywords: science; labor markets; high-school majors; STEM; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 I26 J24 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44 pages
Date: 2018-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lma and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Published - published as 'Science Education and Labor Market Outcomes in a Developing Economy' in: Economic Inquiry, 2022, 60 (2), 741-763

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Related works:
Working Paper: Labor Market Effects of High School Science Majors in a High STEM Economy (2018)
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