Prof. Gerard Pfann (Maastricht University)

Date: Tuesday, November 21st
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Location: Ludwigstr. 28 RG, Room 329 (3rd floor)
Title: “Cyclicality in apprenticeships”
Abstract: We analyze how firms’ expectations about the business cycle are associated with their demand for apprentices and the degree to which apprenticeship graduates are subsequently retained as skilled workers. Using aggregated administrative data on apprenticeship demand at the occupation state level, we show how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the German apprenticeship market and how survey data on the business climate can be used to make timely predictions about the market’s development. Moreover, we find that the coronavirus-related changes in the firm’ expectations about the business climate account for much of the observed changes in the firms’ demand for apprentices in the period 2020-2022. Furthermore, we use data from the IAB establishment panel and find that a firm’s expectations about future business volume are associated with both its demand for apprentices and the percentage of apprentices retained as skilled workers directly after training.