?

The Effect of Major Matching on the Starting Salary of College Graduates: An Empirical Research Based on Propensity Score Matching Method

  • Yanting Hu ,
  • Cheng Jiang
Expand
  • 1. School of Marxism, Xiamen University, Xiamen Fujian 361005, China
    2. Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

Online published: 2021-04-22

Abstract

The match between college graduates’ major and job is an essential factor affecting the quality of employment. Based on the national survey data of colleges graduates’ employment in 2015, this paper investigates the major match of the college graduates, as well as the effects of major match on the starting salary of graduates. It uses the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) method to solve the endogenous problem, and reduce the deviation of results caused by self-selection.The main conclusions and findings are: there are 56.1% of graduates’ majors and jobs match, while 11.7% are irrelevant. Using the OLS method, the starting salary of the major match is 3.4% higher than the major mismatch, and after correcting the endogenous problem by using PSM method, the salary effect of the major match is 5%. OLS regression method underestimates the effect of major match on starting salary. Further research finds that, compared with Project 211 universities and vocational colleges, major match has a significant income effect on non-Project 211 graduates. Also, compared with graduates of college degree and master degree or above, major match has a significant income effect on bachelor degree graduates, the starting salary of the major match is about 7% higher than the major mismatch. Major match of economics graduates has a more significantly positive influence on starting salary, and the major match graduates is about 15% higher than the major mismatch. Based on this, colleges and universities should make more accurate judgment on the specialty matching in order to effectively improve the employment quality of college students.

Cite this article

Yanting Hu , Cheng Jiang . The Effect of Major Matching on the Starting Salary of College Graduates: An Empirical Research Based on Propensity Score Matching Method[J]. Journal of East China Normal University(Educational Sciences), 2021 , 39(4) : 53 -63 . DOI: 10.16382/j.cnki.1000-5560.2021.04.005

References

null 刘扬. (2010). 大学专业与工作匹配研究: 基于大学毕业生就业调查的实证分析. 清华大学教育研究, (6), 82- 88.
null 孟大虎, 苏丽锋, 李璐. (2012). 人力资本与大学生的就业实现和就业质量. 人口与经济, (3), 19- 26.
null 王亚丰, 李尚群. (2013). 人职匹配的意义与局限. 观察与思考, (1), 11- 15.
null 王子成, 杨伟国. (2014). 就业匹配对大学生就业质量的影响效应. 教育与经济,(3),44—52+57.
null 杨金莲, 张俊涛. (2012). 基于能力倾向的人职匹配理论. 中国成人教育, (13), 52- 53.
null 周必彧, 翁杰. (2010). 大学生所学专业与工作岗位的匹配度及其对工资水平的影响. 教育发展研究, (1), 87- 90.
null 周丽萍, 马莉萍. (2016). 高校毕业生的就业匹配与工资起薪的关系研究. 教育学术月刊, (4), 82- 88.
null Arabsheibani, G. (1989). The Wiles Test Revisited. Economics Letters, (29), 361- 364.
null Bauer, T.K. (2002). Educational mismatch and wages: A panelanalysis. Economics of Education Review, (21), 221- 229.
null Becker, G S. (1964). Human capital: a theoretical and empirical analysis with special reference to education conomics. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
null Buchel, F. (2002). The effects of overeducation on productivity in Germany-the firms’ viewpoint. Economics of Education Review, 21 (3), 263- 275.
null Buchel, F., Gripd, A., Mertens, A. (2003). Overeducation in Europe: current issues in theory and policy, (3), 65-92.
null Duncan, G.J., & Hoffman, S.D. (1981). The incidence and wage effect of overeducation. Economicis of Education Review, (1), 75- 86.
null Hersch, J. (1991). Education match and job match. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 73 (1), 140- 144.
null Miller, P.W., & Volker, P.A.. (1984). The Screening Hypothesis: an Application of the Wiles Test. Economic Inquiry, (22), 121- 127.
null Nordin, M.I., Persson, R., Dan-Olof. (2010). Education–occupation mismatch: Is there an income penalty?. Economics of Education Review, (29), 1047- 1059.
null Parsons, F. (2009). Choosing a Vocation. Boston: University of Michigan Library.
null Quintini, G.J. (2011). Over-qualified or under-skilled: A review of existing literature. Working Papers, (121), 12- 14.
null Robst. J. (2007a). Education and Job Match: The Relatedness of College Major and Work. Economics of Education Review, (26), 397- 407.
null Robst, J. (2007b). Education, college major, and job match: Gender differences in reasons formismatch. Education Economics, (15), 159- 75.
null Sattinger, M. (1993). Assignment models of the distribution of earnings. Journal of Economic Literature, (31), 831- 880.
null Schultz, T.W. (1960). Capital Formation by Education. Journal of Political Economy, 68 (12), 571- 583.
null Séamus McGuinness. (2006). Overeducation in the labour market. Journal of Econominc SURVEYS, (3), 396- 397.
null Sicherman, N., Galor O.A. (1990). Theory of Career Mobility. Journal of Polotical Economy, (1), 169- 192.
null Verdugo, R R, & Verdugo, N T. (1989). The impact of surplus schooling on earnings: Some additional findings. Journal of Human Resources, (24), 629- 643.
null Velden, R. vander, Smoorenburg, M.S.M.van. (1997). The measurement of overeducation and undereducation: Self-report vs. Job-analyst method. Maastricht: Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market, Maastricht University.
null Weitzen, S., Lapane, K.L, Toledana, A.Y. et al. (2004). Principles for modeling propensity score in Medical research: a systematic literature review. Pharmacy epidemiology Drug Safe, (13), 841- 853.
Outlines

/