Holding a higher education degree does little in terms of salary premiums in Belgium, compared to other developed nations. This is according to results of an OECD study published today (Thursday).
Belgian employees with a bachelor degree (for example a vocational higher education course) thus earn 21% more than workers only holding a high school diploma.
The study makes the point that this is a very small wage differential.
The weighted average difference between these two categories of workers is, in fact, 48% across all OECD member states.
The wage differential for Belgians with a Masters-level qualification (for example, the so-called “long-cycle”) or a doctorate, however, increases to 60% compared to secondary school qualifications, but remains below the average of OECD countries (91%).
Although they do not earn much more than workers who have only completed secondary studies, graduates in Belgium console themselves by knowing that they are dramatically less affected by unemployment than their lesser-qualified counterparts.
The Brussels Times
