Research
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ROA’s field of research concerns the match between education and the labour
market. More in particular, the institute aims to enhance the understanding of
the relationship between education and the labour market. Our intention is to
make a significant contribution to both academic and societal discussions on the
effects of knowledge and skills acquired in education and in other learning
situations on (1) occupational careers, (2) performance within organisations,
and (3) the development of the economy. The insight that ROA wishes to provide,
consists not only of statistical data that increase the transparency of the
labour market for those who need to take decisions on their education, but also
includes knowledge of the way in which the labour market functions, and the
choices that individuals, organisations and policy-makers can make with respect
to education and the labour market.
ROA’s research is part of the research programmes of the
Maastricht University School of Business and Economics (SBE). Most of ROA’s
research is commissioned research, which is organised along three research
lines: Dynamics of the Labour Market, Education and Occupational Career, and
Training and Employment. ROA’s applied research is mostly commissioned by
ministries, but research contracts have also been received from lower-level
authorities, the Council for Higher Vocational Education, Employment Services,
businesses, educational institutions, sector organisations and the European
Commission.
The three research lines are supported by a fundamental
research programme. The fundamental research is partly funded by the Netherlands
Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) and the SBE’s research school METEOR.
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Dynamics of the Labour Market
ROA’s first research programme focuses on the way the labour
market functions by distinguishing between labour demand and supply, and more in
particular by analysing the effects of education and training on labour market
outcomes. With respect to labour demand we study the allocation of skills in the
labour market, skill biased technological and organisational change, and related
changes in the distribution of productivities and wages of individuals. The
research on labour supply analyses the impact of employment perspectives on
individual behaviour, such as educational and occupational choice , labour force
participation (discouraged worker effect), occupational mobility, retirement of
older workers, and regional and international mobility of graduates and workers.
An effort is made to increase the transparency of the labour market for
individuals, employers, employment agencies and policy makers, by providing
information on current and future developments in the labour market. This
information is often arranged according to education and occupation. In this
context, the effects of changes in behaviour and policies are also analysed.
The Education and Labour Market Project
The Education and Labour Market Project is a very important research project
within the Dynamics of the Labour Market programme. This project focuses in
particular on the match between education and occupation, the substitution
processes in the labour market, and the labour market perspectives for more than
100 educational programmes and occupations. Based on a wide variety of data, the
forecasts are differentiated by education and occupation. These forecasts take
medium-term developments of employment, replacement demand, and the influx of
school-leavers into the labour market into account. The results of this project
are published every other year in a report entitled The Labour Market by
Education and Occupation. The project is funded by the Ministry of Education,
Culture and Science, the National Employment Office (CWI), the Employed Persons
Insurance Administration Agency (UWV), the Association of Centres of Expertise
on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market (COLO), the Council for
Work and Income (RWI), Randstad Nederland and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Nature and Food Quality.
Coordinator research line: Dr. Frank Cörvers
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Education and occupational career
The focus of the second programme is twofold. It
studies the development of competences during education and the
transition from school to work, as well as the subsequent occupational
careers. Within this framework, a large-scale survey among
school-leavers and graduates who entered the labour market is carried
out annually. These surveys cover the entire spectrum of education and
are considered the most influential data source on school-to-work
transitions in the Netherlands. The data obtained are used by Ministries
and other relevant organisations (such as the Higher Vocational
Education Council and the Association of Universities in the
Netherlands). The data also play an important role in the quality
assurance and accreditation of individual educational institutes.
In addition to the national graduate surveys, ROA also coordinates
large-scale international surveys. An example is the so-called
REFLEX
Project, which focuses on the competences
required in the knowledge economy and on the extent to which higher
education provides a good basis to develop these competences.
Besides the main focus on transition research,
this ROA programme also takes a wider life-course perspective. It
analyses educational careers, competence development in education and
its relation with programme characteristics as well as long term
outcomes of education on occupational careers, and their effects on
other domains of the life-course.
Coordinator research line: Prof. Dr. Rolf van der Velden
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Training and employment
The relationship between developments in the
labour market on the one hand, and the acquisition of qualifications and
skill obsolescence in workers, job-seekers and non-participants on the
other, is the research focus of the Training and Employment programme.
This development of human resources is analysed from the perspective of
both employees and employers. From the employees’ point of view, the
relationships between human capital development and wages, job
satisfaction and mobility are studied. From the employers’ perspective,
productivity, returns to training investments and the substitutability
of educational groups are analysed. Also the Human Resource practices
that organisations use to improve the productivity of their workforce
are considered in the research. Specific areas of interest include
industry studies, apprenticeships, job-worker mismatches, technology and
training, training and retirement, informal learning, skill
obsolescence, employability, labour market segmentation and Human
Resource Management. Research has been conducted in several economic
sectors, such as the metal and electronics industries, pharmacies and
call centres.
Coordinator research line: Prof. Dr. Andries de Grip
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Fundamental research
Fundamental research projects are set up by ROA, often in the form of PhD
and postdoc studies, supporting the subsidised and contract research carried out
within the three research lines. For a number of PhD studies, funding was
obtained from NWO and also from METEOR.
Since ROA’s research is part of the research programmes of the SBE, ROA publications are included in the
SBE’s reports and also
assessed as part of the official research audits. The links with the
SBE enables ROA to benefit from the facilities of the research school METEOR. On the basis of their scientific publications, several ROA
staff members have been appointed as fellows of METEOR.
Coordinator research programme: Prof. Dr. Thomas
Dohmen
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Information
For more information on ROA and research
possibilities, please contact:
Prof. Dr.
Thomas Dohmen Coordinator fundamental research programme;
Director
Dr.
Frank Cörvers Coordinator Dynamics of the Labour Market research
line
Prof. Dr.
Rolf van der Velden Coordinator Education and Occupational Career
research line
Prof. Dr.
Andries de Grip Coordinator Training and Employment research line
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