Ask: NUS Economists

Fixation on academic qualifications will be hard to break

New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Q It is a person's ability that counts, not his academic qualifications. How true is this?

A Labour economists have, for a long time, sought to understand how schooling affects people's labour market prospects. There is much agreement now that schooling has a large positive impact, with most research indicating that each additional year of schooling increases one's future earnings by between 7 per cent and 10 per cent. This is perhaps one reason more people are aiming to be graduates. While only 8.1 per cent of Singapore residents aged 25 to 29 had a degree in 1990, 54.1 per cent in this age bracket have a degree today.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 05, 2019, with the headline Fixation on academic qualifications will be hard to break . Subscribe