Upper secondary vocational education and decent work in Indonesia: A gender comparison

Abstract

We explore if vocational upper secondary schooling in Indonesia, especially for women, results in decent work for those in regular wage employment, following the 2006 expansion of vocational education. We use OLS, probit and Heckman two-step methods, defining decent work as compensation-related. We find that upper secondary vocational education makes a difference for both men and women with regard to job security and access to the formal economy, and also for men (but not for women) with regard to wages and the availability of both health insurance and pensions in the workplace. Vocational education does therefore contribute towards decent work in Indonesia.