@article{aup:/content/journals/10.5117/MEM2017.3.BOL, author = "Bol, Thijs and Rözer, Jesper", title = "Vakmanschap op de arbeidsmarkt", journal= "Mens & Maatschappij", year = "2017", volume = "92", number = "3", pages = "233-257", doi = "https://doi.org/10.5117/MEM2017.3.BOL", url = "https://www.aup-online.com/content/journals/10.5117/MEM2017.3.BOL", publisher = "Amsterdam University Press", issn = "1876-2816", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "craftsmanship", keywords = "labor market", keywords = "segregation indices", keywords = "vocational education", abstract = "Abstract In this article we examine the labor market outcome of different types of craftsmen. Do vocationally educated craftsmen have a smoother school-to-work transition than graduates with general skills? We analyze this question using Dutch Labor Force Surveys from 1996 to 2012. We find that craftsmen who have a very specialized educational degree are less likely to be unemployed at the start of their careers. However, those with a broader educational degree are more likely to find a job with a higher job status than graduates with a specialized degree. According to the literature, craftsmen with a specialized education are likely to have difficulties later in their career: their specific skills become obsolete while those with a broader education are likely to be able to be more mobile in the labor market. We find no support for this when we analyze unemployment. Craftsmen with a small education remain at least as likely to be employed as craftsmen with a broader education. However, for job status we find more support for this hypothesis. The gap in job status between craftsmen with a small and broad education widens over the life course.", }