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6 posts on "college graduates"
June 5, 2019

Despite Rising Costs, College Is Still a Good Investment

In our last post, we showed that the cost of college has increased sharply in recent years due to the rising opportunity cost of attending school and the steady rise in tuition. This steep increase in the cost of college has once again raised questions about whether college is “worth it.” In this post, we weigh the economic benefits of a bachelor’s degree against the costs to estimate the return to college, providing an update to our 2014 study. We find that the average rate of return for a bachelor’s degree has edged down slightly in recent years due to rising costs, but remains high at around 14 percent, easily surpassing the threshold for a good investment. Thus, while the rising cost of college appears to have eroded the value of a bachelor’s degree somewhat, college remains a good investment for most people.

Posted at 7:00 am in Education, Human Capital | Permalink | Comments (10)
January 11, 2016

Working as a Barista After College Is Not as Common as You Might Think

Jaison R. Abel and Richard Deitz The image of a newly minted college graduate working behind the counter of a hip coffee shop has become a hallmark of the plight of recent college graduates following the Great Recession. Recurring news stories about young college graduates stuck in low-skilled jobs make it easy to see why […]

Posted at 7:00 am in Education, Human Capital, Labor Market | Permalink
August 5, 2015

When Women Out‑Earn Men

We often hear that women earn “77 cents on the dollar” compared with men.

Posted at 7:00 am in Inequality, Labor Market | Permalink | Comments (2)
May 15, 2015

The Class of 2015 Might Have a Little Better Luck Finding a Good Job

With the college graduation season well under way, a new crop of freshly minted graduates is entering the job market and many bright young minds are hoping to land a good first job. It’s no wonder if they are approaching the job hunt with some trepidation. For a number of years now, recent college graduates have been struggling to find good jobs. However, the labor market for college graduates is improving. After declining for nearly two years, openings for jobs requiring a college degree have picked up since last summer. Not only has this increase in the demand for educated workers continued to push down the unemployment rate for recent graduates, but it has also finally started to help reduce underemployment, though the underemployment rate remains high. While successfully navigating the job market will likely remain a challenge, it appears that finding a good job has become just a little bit easier for the class of 2015.

September 4, 2014

Are the Job Prospects of Recent College Graduates Improving?

The promise of finding a good job upon graduation has always been an important consideration when weighing the value of a college degree.

June 27, 2013

Just Released: Are Recent College Graduates Finding Good Jobs?

Stories abound about recent college graduates who are struggling to find good jobs in today’s economy, especially with student debt levels rising so quickly.

Posted at 12:00 pm in Education, Labor Market, Unemployment | Permalink
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