Human capital and job seekers: which is faster to work, vocational colleges or university? Indonesian experience

Students can continue their studies at vocational colleges or universities after graduating high school. Which is faster to work, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree? It is ironic when vocational education aims to produce a skilled and competent workforce, but the unemployment rate in Indonesia is dominated by vocational education. The non-absorption of human resources from vocational education graduates can trigger employment problems. This study compares the duration of time getting a job among vocational and university graduates. The analytical method used is multilevel survival analysis and two-step Heckman. The reason is the demand for high wages and specific types of work. Based on the results of the multilevel survival analysis and Heakman’s two-step, it can be concluded that fresh graduates with associate degrees have a longer duration of looking for work than fresh graduates with bachelor’s. The reason is the demand for high wages and specific types of work.