Although students in the broad field of leisure studies may pursue a variety of opportunities post-graduation, employment within local parks and recreation represents one potential career path. Unfortunately, the Great Recession disproportionately impacted local parks and recreation relative to competing public services. As such, this article…

Companies are facing a persistent and growing skills gap, which has been exacerbated by the tight labor market. Employers use industry certifications, college degrees, boot camps, and badges to measure job skills, but until recently it was impossible to compare certifications or degree attainment. This paper describes credential transparency and…

This report aimed to identify the key characteristics of Utah postsecondary graduates pursuing a graduate degree. Besides demographic data, the percentage of students who earned a graduate degree outside of Utah and those who attended private institutions are included. Additionally, this report explored how many students can fill Utah's…

This is the technical appendices for the report, "Higher Education and Economic Opportunity in California." Lower rates of college access and completion among Latinos, African Americans, and low-income Californians exacerbate the state's economic divide and puts California further behind in meeting its workforce needs. And even though a…

The skilled craft workforce possesses the in-demand, highly specialized skills that are necessary to maintain and improve campus. However, campus, the heart of many colleges and universities, may be in trouble: The higher ed skilled craft workforce is aging, and there are not enough younger workers to take the place of older employees as they…

This dissertation studies the effects of China's higher education expansion reform on workers' labor market outcomes. In Chapter 1, I investigate how China's higher education expansion reform affects young workers' labor market outcomes. Using data from the 2005 China Population Survey, I estimate the effects of the reform using a diff-in-diff…

The population of the United States is getting older. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), older workers -- which the BLS defines as those who are 55 and older -- made up 22% of the U.S. workforce in 2016, nearly double the 12% recorded in 1995. This increase is largely "fueled by the aging baby-boom generation, a large…

Does the gender pay gap affect women's ability to repay their student debt? This study investigates the extent to which an income contingent scheme benefits women because of their individual earnings. Using the Australian Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey, gender differences in debt repayment behaviour over the past two…

College-educated immigrants in the United States are more likely to have advanced degrees and to major in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields than their U.S.-born peers with college degrees. But their educational levels have not always translated into occupational gains: They are more likely than U.S.-born workers to be…

This report looks into the incidence of skills mismatches in the Republic of Serbia (hereafter referred to as Serbia). In 2017, the European Training Foundation (ETF) initiated a skills mismatch measurement project in the ETF partner countries with two objectives: (1) to identify regular data sources; and (2) to develop and test a series of…

The report looks into the incidence of skills mismatches in the Republic of Moldova (hereafter referred to as Moldova). In 2017, the European Training Foundation (ETF) initiated a mismatch measurement project in selected ETF partner countries with a view to showcasing gaps and shortages in skills utilisation on the labour market including aspects…

This report looks into the incidence of skills mismatches in the Republic of North Macedonia (hereinafter referred to as North Macedonia). In 2017, the European Training Foundation (ETF) initiated a skills mismatch measurement project in the ETF partner countries with two objectives: (1) to identify regular data sources; and (2) to develop and…

In 2017, the European Training Foundation (ETF) began a project on skills mismatch measurement in ETF partner countries. The project objectives were to identify regular data sources, and develop and test indicators that can capture various angles and implications of skills mismatch. In the first phase of the pilot project, four partner countries…

This paper builds a model of human capital accumulation driven by increasing specialization of the workforce. Individuals increase the efficiency of time dedicated to human capital acquisition by focusing investments on narrower sets of skills. The evolution of secondary and post-secondary curricula in the United States from 1870-2000 confirms the…

We analyse race and gender trends in the Silicon Valley technology industry from 1980 to 2015, with a focus on education, employment and wages in computer science. Racial gaps in representation are more salient among programmers than in the overall technology labour force; in addition, we document a stable or increasing gender gap across all races…