The effects of vocational training programmes on the duration of unemployment in Eastern Germany

authored by
Reinhard Hujer, Stephan L. Thomsen, Christopher Zeiss
Abstract

Vocational training programmes have been the most important active labour market policy instrument in Germany in the last years. However, the still unsatisfying situation of the labour market has raised doubt on the efficiency of these programmes. In this paper, we analyse the effects of the participation in vocational training programmes on the duration of unemployment in Eastern Germany. Based on administrative data for the time between the October 1999 and December 2002 of the Federal Employment Administration 1, we apply a bivariate mixed proportional hazards model. By doing so, we are able to use the information of the timing of treatment as well as observable and unobservable influences to identify the treatment effects. The results show that a participation in vocational training prolongates the unemployment duration in Eastern Germany. Furthermore, the results suggest that locking-in effects are a serious problem of vocational training programmes.

External Organisation(s)
Goethe University Frankfurt
Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW)
Type
Review article
Journal
Allgemeines Statistisches Archiv
Volume
90
Pages
299-321
No. of pages
23
ISSN
0002-6018
Publication date
06.2006
Publication status
Published
Peer reviewed
Yes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Statistics and Probability
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
Electronic version(s)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10182-006-0235-z (Access: Closed)
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/20352/1/dp1117.pdf (Access: Open)