| Marcia Bellas
University of Cincinnati
Educational investments: Do returns diminish with age?
FINAL REPORT:
This study examines data from the Baccalaureate and Beyond Study for evidence of age-related employment barriers. Older graduates were less likely than younger graduates to engage in a post-graduation job search, but those who did showed little difference in their job-seeking behaviors or susceptibility to unemployment. However, older graduates had fewer job offers on average, a difference that is not explained by individual characteristics or educational credentials. Older graduates were concentrated in fewer occupational and industrial sectors, and were less likely to be employed in the for-profit sector. Yet older graduates appear to have been employed in better jobs one year after graduation. Their higher average salaries could not be explained by individual, educational or employment-related variables. Thus, findings are generally inconsistent with the view that older graduates face age-related barriers to employment.
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