Duration of High School Education and Youth Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from a Policy Experiment in Ghana

Abstract

This paper estimates the effects of an additional year in senior high school (SHS) on early labour market outcomes in Ghana. Using data from a nationally representative household survey, we find that an additional year in SHS increases the likelihood of being employed and being employed in the formal sector but has no effect on the likelihood of being in paid employment. Additionally, we find that the effects are concentrated in female samples. Although the results constitute an important contribution to the debate on duration of SHS in Ghana, we caution that policy interventions should be based on more extensive evidence.