Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/173991 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 11081
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
The authors compare a firm's costs and benefits of providing apprenticeship training in Austria and Switzerland, using two original micro data sets. While both countries share a number of similarities, including an extensive vocational education and training (VET) system, and a common border, there are some important institutional differences. On average, a Swiss firm generates a net profit of 3400 Euro per apprentice and per year of training, while an Austrian firm incurs net costs of 4200 Euro. Applying matching models, we find that this difference is largely driven by a higher relative apprentice pay in Austria, which in turn is associated with collective bargaining agreements and competition with alternative school-based VET pathways. However, Austrian firms can still generate a return on their training investment, partly due to wage subsidies, but mostly by retaining a high share of apprentices as skilled workers, and thereby save on future hiring costs.
Subjects: 
initial VET
cost-benefit analysis
apprenticeship training
hiring costs
JEL: 
J24
J31
J44
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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