Jean-François Giret

Classifying qualitative time series with SOM: the typology of career paths in France

The purpose of this paper is to present a typology of career paths in France with the Kohonen algorithm and its generalization to a clustering method of life history using Self Organizing Maps. Several methods have already been proposed to transform qualitative information into quantitative one such as being able to apply clustering algorithm based on the Euclidean distance such as SOM. In the case of life history, these methods generally ignore the longitudinal organization of the data. Our approach aims to deduce a quantitative encode from the labor market situation proximities across time. Using SOM, the topology preservation is also helpful to check when the new encoding keep particularities of the life history and our economic approach of careers. In final, this quantitative encoding can be easily generalized to a method of clustering life history and complete the set of methods generalizing the use of SOM to qualitative data.

Does student employment really impact academic achievement? The case of France

Student employment is usually thought to curb academic achievement. Our research relating to a survey at a French university in 2012 emphasizes the significance of the intensity of student working hours. Allowance for the endogeneity of student employment reinforces the negative effects, particularly for young people working more than 16 hours a week. However, the academic achievement of those working fewer than 8 hours per week seems unaffected. The type of employment also affects the chances of success: students with public sector jobs appear to be less prone to failure, possibly because of more flexible working hours.

Determinants of Access to Academic Careers in France

The recruitment of young PhD graduates in the academic sector is associated with great uncertainty regarding their potential teaching and research productivity. Thus, in order to recruit the best PhD graduates for permanent positions, employers (universities or research institutions in France) select according to signals sent by the applicants in their curriculum vitae: publications, post-doc position, host research institution, etc. In our paper, we analyse the factors affecting the access duration to a permanent job in three academic fields in France, using a sample of PhDs graduated in 2001. A discrete-time model, controlling for post-doc participation, is used to analyse the main factors influencing access duration. Our main results indicate that post-doc appointments have a positive influence on the access duration to a permanent job in chemistry and life sciences and, to a lesser extent, in mathematics, physics and in the applied sciences, which is coherent with the idea that potential employers use this information as a proxy for research and teaching abilities.

The Vocationalisation of University Programmes in France: its Consequences for Employability and Mobility

France has a multi-track higher education system which includes four key components: Grandes Ecoles, short vocational training tracks, specialised higher education institutions (in social work, healthcare and the arts), and universities. Access to higher education is traditionally defined by the contrast between universities (which enrol all holders of the baccalaureat without any selection process) and the extremely selective Grandes Ecoles. The other tertiary courses are not directly accessible to all baccalaureat holders who wish to enrol because the number of study places is limited; applications to these tracks involve a selection process (based on educational records or a competitive entrance exam, test, interview, etc.).

Typologies de parcours et dynamique longitudinale

Life Course Typologies et Longitudinal Dynamics: In this paper, we propose a method for developing typologies of individual itineraries that takes into account the dynamics of longitudinal timelines. It applies when these timelines are developed from calendars. The originality of this method lies both in the method of calculating the distance between trajectories, and the classification procedure based on Kohonen self-organizing maps. The main property of the metric is to take into account the proximity between different states and its evolution over time. We propose an application in the analysis of career paths using Céreq data for monthly monitoring over seven years for youths who left the education system in 1998. Our results highlight the importance of temporal dynamics in the construction of timelines of entry into the workforce. Finally, we examine the role and contributions of this method by comparing it to the most commonly used methods for constructing timeline typologies.

Educational intentions, cognitive skills and earnings expectations of French undergraduates

This article aims to study the earnings expectations of first-year students at a French university. Our findings highlight the importance of the environment in which students make their choices about education. Expected earnings are proportionally higher when their parents seem to be involved in the careers guidance, taking into account the effect of parental socio-economic status. The positive opinion of parents about the orientation or the connection between the discipline and the father’s occupation are generally associated with higher earnings. In addition, our results show a strong impact of cognitive variables which are far more significant than variables relating to past educational performances.

Vocational bachelor graduates in France: labour market integration and social mobility

Purpose – In France, the vocationalization of higher education has resulted in an increase in the number of graduates and created new opportunities. The access of these vocational bachelor graduates to the labour market raises the issue of their professional prospects amid changing economic and social circumstances. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – To provide insights into these issues, the employment situation of bachelor graduates during the first years of active working life will be compared with other tertiary graduates entering the labour market in the same years, using econometric models that estimate the effects of vocational courses “all other things being equal”, incorporating a range of individual characteristics. Findings – Overall, vocational bachelor graduates experienced fewer difficulties in seeking to enter the labour market during difficult economic circumstances. They did not achieve upward social mobility with a lower probability of obtaining a manag...

International mobility of French Ph.D.s

ABSTRACT This research investigates the determinants of international mobility of Ph.D.s upon graduation. It is based on a survey of 400 young Ph.D.s who graduated in France between 2003 and 2008, half of whom were still abroad more than six years after graduating. The impacts of personal, occupational and scientific characteristics on the successive mobility decisions after graduating were scrutinized. The findings show that motivations for going abroad relate principally to the difficulty in finding employment on the French labour market. The choices as to longer term expatriation are more fragmented and can be less readily unravelled. By contrast, readiness to return to France is often accounted for by family factors.

Gender differences in French undergraduates’ academic plans and wage expectations

ABSTRACT Gender differences in wage expectations may affect investment in human capital and increase inequalities in the labour market. Our research based on a survey of first-year students at a French university aims to focus on expectations at the beginning of the career. Our results show that anticipated earnings differ significantly between men and women. One year after graduation, we find a gender gap in pay of 16%. A wage decomposition method indicates that most of this effect is due to anticipation of discrimination. Ten years after graduation, anticipated discrimination is still almost as dominant in explaining the gender gap in pay. Finally, using a survey of recent college graduates, we show that growth in the anticipated gender gap differs greatly from growth in the observed gender gap. Our findings highlight the importance of policies promoting higher educational aspirations for young women. Career guidance counselling for students may play a decisive role in contributing to give women more ambitious aspirations, which may in turn serve to reduce inequalities in the labour market.