Article 2025

Vocational education, earnings and job satisfaction in Europe

MS
Mcguinness, Séamus G.
 KL
Kelly, Lorcan
 DA
Devlin, Anne
 WA
Whelan, Adele
Education Economics
Journal
Abstract

This paper examines the earnings and job satisfaction of Vocational Education and Training (VET) graduates in the European Union (EU) using two definitions of vocational education: a self-reported definition and a more specific definition that incorporates work-based learning. The incidence of third-level VET falls from 73% to 32% under the stricter definition. Across the EU, the returns to vocational and academic qualifications are comparable for upper secondary, post-secondary and tertiary qualifications. Earnings premia vary between countries, with VET generating higher returns in just under one-third of all EU-28 members. Additionally, third level VET graduates enjoy higher levels of job satisfaction. © 2025 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Vocational education work-based learning job satisfaction Earnings On-the-job training European countries

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Economic and Social Research Institute Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Leinster, Ireland, IZA - Institute of Labor Economics, Bonn, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Economic and Social Research Institute Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
Economic and Social Research Institute Ireland, Dublin, Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Leinster, Ireland
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No funding information
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