Skip to main content

The rising postgraduate wage premium

Joanne Lindley and Stephen Machin


Despite post-college degree holders now making up nearly 15% of the US adult workforce, studies of their labour market performance remain sparse. This is surprising given that they are the most educated group in the labour force and as, over time, they have done significantly better than all other education groups. We show a significant rise over time in the postgraduate wage premium, reflecting an increased relative demand due to their superior skill sets and occupational status. The increase in the demand for postgraduates is a key factor behind rising wage inequality within the increasingly heterogeneous college graduate workforce. ? 2016 The London School of Economics and Political Science.


1 April 2016


Economica 83(330) , pp.281-306, 2016


DOI: 10.1111/ecca.12184

https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/the-rising-postgraduate-wage-premium(571b6319-6f6a-4f93-8062-e9bc975bbf0a).html

This Journal article is published under the centre's Community Wellbeing programme, Education programme, Labour programme.