Skills, Computer Use and Social Integration
Skills, Computer Use and Social Integration
The project considers the social integration of low-skilled young people under the conditions of a knowledge-based economy. An essential factor of social integration in Germany is the transition from school to postsecondary education. Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel for the years 2000 to 2006 we analyzed the determinants and labor market effects of educational dropout. In addition to classical variables like family background and occupation, we examined noncognitive skills and Internet use. Noncognitive skills and Internet availability at home are negatively associated with the probability of becoming an educational dropout. At equal educational levels, those with higher noncognitive skills are less likely to be unemployed. Considering individuals in equal occupational groups, at equal levels of noncognitive skills and equal Internet use status, the wage gap between dropouts and medium-skilled workers vanishes for men. For women, the gap amounts to four percent.
