The Effect of Combining Work and Study on Labor Market Outcomes in Transition Countries

The fraction of employed students in developed countries has been drastically increasing since the early 1960s. However, for transition countries, this trend is new and not well researched. In this thesis, we study the effect of combining work and study on labor market outcomes in Ukraine and Armenia. To test the hypotheses, we consider the following variables: employment status, wage, satisfaction with current job position, desire to change work, and overqualification. We conducted the analysis for two periods: up to three years after graduation and more than three years. The empirical results show that the double-status position is effective in Ukraine and unfavorable in Armenia. Therefore, conjoint programs of universities with private companies might have a positive long-run effect in Ukraine. For Armenia, an increase in the number of scholarships can help students to concentrate only on the study and accumulate human capital which will result in better labor market outcomes.