Article 2025

The Impact of STEM Programmes on Schooling and Early Labour Market Outcomes

NB
Neyt, Brecht
 VD
Verhaest, Dieter
De Economist
Journal
Abstract

We examine the impact of enrolling in STEM programmes during secondary education on educational and early labour market outcomes. We estimate a dynamic discrete choice model based on longitudinal Belgian data, allowing us to jointly estimate youths’ educational and early labour market careers and to account for unobservable differences between youths. We find that STEM programmes reduce study delay and track downgrading, and increase graduating from secondary and tertiary education. STEM programme participants are also more often employed after leaving education, especially so with a permanent contract. These labour market effects are partly driven by indirect effects through improved schooling outcomes. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.

Keywords

Author Keywords

STEM employment Dynamic discrete choice Educational achievement Permanent contract Return to skills

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Economics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium, Department of Economics, Universiteit Gent, Ghent, VOV, Belgium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium, Global Labor Organization, Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Department of Economics, KU Leuven, Leuven, Vlaams-Brabant, Belgium
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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