Conscription and the Labor Market Outcomes of Recent College Graduates: Evidence From One Taiwanese University (Poster 1)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 9:50 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Higher Education Policy Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the impact of Taiwan’s 2013 conscription policy reform on the labor market outcomes of recent college graduates. Using a rich administrative dataset, we analyze the cumulative unemployment days and maximum monthly wages of 3,702 college graduates from a private technological university over five years after graduation. Employing quadratic growth models and regression discontinuity, we find that conscription adversely affects the early career stages of male graduates, resulting in increased unemployment and lower wages. However, these disadvantages diminish post-service, with graduates catching up to their peers. The findings suggest policy interventions to mitigate the labor market instability caused by conscription.

Authors

• Yuan Chih Fu, National Taipei University of Technology

• Amelio Quetzal, National Chung Cheng University

• Wei-Chun Lee, Lunghwa University of Science and Technology

• I-Hsiung Chang, National Taiwan Normal University

• Yin Chun Lin, National Taipei University of Technology