The paper investigates the experience of employed higher education graduates in two countries with high rates of graduate unemployment. It examines the employment experience of graduates and their perceptions regarding the contribution of higher education to their employment and career prospects. Qualitative research was used to collect…

Governments recognise that careers guidance, underpinned by accurate labour market information, can help learners make post-secondary education choices that match their interests, aptitudes and abilities, and lead to rewarding employment. For this reason, they have invested in building linked education/employment information systems and other…

This paper aims at highlighting and interpreting current empirical facets of the Greek educational pathogeny through a sociological approach. Especially, the paper tries to investigate the relationship between education and employment in modern Greece based on the annual statistical report of KANEP/GSEE, choosing both selected facets and…

A decade ago, the world was not prepared for the widespread impact of the global financial recession. Gradually, the operating focus of higher education sector in many high-income countries around shifted, causing budget-cuts to become a recurring and dominant theme. Yet, at the same time, the expanding middle-class in emerging countries were keen…

The employment of individuals, in all societies and all times, was the focal point of social structures. The economic theory provides the ability to understand the economic laws that are running in a society and gives us much knowledge how to significantly alter the economic structure of society or to bring about the desired changes. There is a…

Higher education choice has been a central theme in sociological research in recent decades, especially following the policies for the widening of participation adopted in many countries. Research has shown a relationship between social class and higher education choice, and this is a reason why the expansion of higher education does not reduce…

This paper examines the wage returns to qualifications and academic disciplines in the Greek labour market. Exploring wage responsiveness across various degree subjects in Greece is interesting, as it is characterised by high levels of graduate unemployment, which vary considerably with the field of study, and relatively low levels of wage…

The high level of graduate unemployment, even though it is acknowledged as one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Greek labour market, it has not attracted enough attention in the academic literature. This paper utilizes micro-data from the Labour Force Survey in order to investigate how the employment situation of young (aged 35 and…

Lasting imbalances between the demand for educated labor and the size and educational composition of the supply of university graduates has been a common phenomenon for both developed and developing countries. Drawing on human capital theory, this paper develops a methodology to help education planners restore the balance. Includes 49 references.…

Enrollment of Greek students in domestic and foreign universities has increased dramatically since 1960. Demand for higher education continues to be strong despite diminishing income differentials, because higher education is cheap in Greece and is still associated with an earnings premium. Movement toward a privatization model for higher…

Describes the inequality of access to higher education in Greece, especially in the metropolitan Athens area. Examines the evolution of the Greek school system, related changes in examination practices, and the relationship between the structure of the school system and the job market. (SLD)

Projections 10 years ahead are made of employment of university-educated workers. On the demand side, projections are based on trends of sectoral output, productivity, and occupational composition. On the supply side, projections rely on first year enrollments/graduates ratios by educational department. (Author/MLW)

Provides an overview of the inequalities of access to higher education in Greece at the national level showing patterns of differentiation between the scientific disciplines and between occupations in the labor market. Offers the "Indices of Educational Opportunities" to show the patterns of student distribution in universities and other…

Some studies of individual demand for higher education undertaken during the 1970s are reviewed. Although lifetime earnings are positively related to educational qualifications, rates of return to education do not seem to matter for either public or private educational decisions. (Author/MLW)

Two government-induced distortions generate an excess demand for entry into the Greek higher education system. In Greece the private cost of higher education is too low and the government-set wage rate too high, thus contributing to the excess demand for higher education and an apparent "graduate unemployment" problem. (MLW)