Overview

Abstract (English)

The paper exploits the newly available Census data on the earnings of individuals in the apprenticeable trades to examine the returns to apprenticeship training. Only a small minority of males work in these trades, concentrated in the construction, production and mechanical trades where their weekly earnings premia over completed high school range from 9 to 14 percent. An even smaller minority of women report working in apprenticeable trades and it appears that many of them mistakenly report having apprenticed. In the largest single trade for women, personal services and culinary arts, the earnings premium is actually negative, although weekly earnings compare more favourably against the earnings of women without completed high school. Given reasonably large returns for men, late entry into apprenticeships is a puzzling phenomenon requiring further investigation.

Abstract (French)

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