The effect of economic downturns on apprenticeships and initial workplace training: a review of the evidence

Arbeitspapier

The existing empirical evidence on the relationship between apprenticeships, initial workplace training and economic downturns, is relatively scarce. The bottom line of this literature is that ratio of apprentices to employees tends to be (mildly) pro-cyclical and to decline during a recession, with the notable exception of the Great Depression, when it rose (at least in England). When broader measures of training are considered, which exclude apprentices, the weight of the evidence is in favour of counter-cyclical training incidence. This paper suggests that a possible reconciliation of these findings is based on recognizing that firms may have incentives to train incumbents during a downturn and at the same time to reduce the recruitment and training of young employees, who are engaged in the transition from school to work.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 4326

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
• Subject: Apprenticeship training ; economic downturns ; Betriebliche Berufsausbildung ; Auszubildende ; Lehrstellenmarkt ; Konjunktur ; Welt

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Brunello, Giorgio
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2009

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/36033
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-20090826143
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:43 AM CET