In this paper we show that whilst there appear to be substantial private earnings gains to be had from a university education, these are greater for women than they are for men. Due to substantial asymmetries in post-graduation earnings performance, choice of subject is more important for men.

The paper uses the first five waves of the British Household Panel Survey to explore the dynamics of the labour market experience of Britain's ethnic minorities relative to the white majority. The issue to be explored is labour market transitions. Ethnic minorities are shown to exhibit greater...