Title: Education and opportunity in Spain and the USA: evidence from youth labour market entry

Authors: Jennifer L. Steele

Addresses: American University, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., NW (SVB 473), Washington, DC 20016-8030, USA

Abstract: Using large random samples of young adults ages 24 to 30 in Spain and the USA, I examine socioeconomic mobility in each country and how vocational education options may enhance or detract from such mobility. In Spain, the socioeconomic status of young adults is less dependent on that of their parents than in the USA, but educational attainment is strongly related to family background in both countries. What differ are educational returns. In Spain, educational attainment strongly predicts job satisfaction, but in the USA, it predicts employment and earnings. Yet, if the distribution of average adult skills by education level in the USA matched that of Spain, inequality by education level in the USA would be roughly halved, all else remaining equal. Regarding the role of vocational education, young adults in Spain with non-tertiary vocational credentials show an employment advantage that does not translate to higher earnings.

Keywords: social mobility; comparative economics; labour force entry; returns to education; vocational education; propensity score stratification; instrumental variables; Spain; USA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEED.2024.141905

International Journal of Education Economics and Development, 2024 Vol.15 No.4, pp.508 - 533

Received: 03 Oct 2022
Accepted: 10 Apr 2023
Published online: 03 Oct 2024 *

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