German firms have increasing difficulties in filling apprentice positions. I study how firms adjust their personnel policies when they face unfilled apprentice positions. Using the IAB Establishment Panel (2008-2014) and applying fixed effects panel estimations, I find that small firms react by...

We expand Acemoglu and Pischke's seminal model of training in imperfect labor markets by including the system of collective wage bargaining and the components of firms' training costs. Thus we can adapt their model to institutional changes that occurred since the 1990s. The model and the...

Hungarian legislation provides firms with financial incentives to train apprentices from vocational training schools. In line with these incentives, it is observed that firms increasingly train apprentices over the period 2003-2011, in particular, in the sectors manufacturing, construction,...

Although there is evidence that apprenticeship training can ease the transition of youth into the labour market and thereby reduce youth unemployment, many policy makers fear that firms will cut their apprenticeship expenditures during economic crises, thus exacerbating the problem of youth...

We analyse the economic returns in lifetime labour income of different educational paths in Germany, especially the difference between university studies and vocational training. New data allows us to calculate cumulative labour earnings at different ages and to compare not only the highest...

The German dual apprenticeship system came under pressure in recent years because enterprises were not willing to offer a sufficient number of apprenticeship positions. A frequently made argument is that the gap could be closed if more firms would be willing to incur net costs during the...