Mitochondrial Fusion Vital for Adult Brain Function and Disease Understanding...
Education at a Glance 2011
1. 1
1
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Education at a Glance
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Education at a Glance
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
United States
September 13, 2011
2. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 2
2
Unabated educational expansion
3. 3
3
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 1995
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Cost per student
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland Graduate supply
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
4. A world of change – higher education
30,000.0
1995
25,000.0
Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
20,000.0
United States
Cost per student
15,000.0 Finland
10,000.0 Japan
5,000.0
0.0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Graduate supply
Tertiary-type A graduation rate
5. 5
5
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2000
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
United Kingdom
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
6. 6
6
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2001
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Australia
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
7. 7
7
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2002
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
8. 8
8
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2003
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
9. 9
9
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2004
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
10. 10
10
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2005
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
11. 11
11
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2006
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
12. 12
12
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2007
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
13. 13
13
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
30,000.0
Denmark
Estonia 2008
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland Finland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
14. 14
14
Key findings from the 2011 edition of Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada A world of change – higher education
Chile
Czech Republic
Denmark
30,000.0
United States
Estonia 2008
Finland
Education at a Glance
France 25,000.0
Germany Expenditure per student at tertiary level (USD)
Greece
Hungary
20,000.0
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy 15,000.0
Japan
Korea
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Luxembourg 10,000.0
Mexico
Netherland
New Zealand
Norway 5,000.0
Poland
Portugal
Slovak Republic 0.0
Slovenia
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Turkey
United Kingdom Tertiary-type A graduation rate
United States
15. 15
15
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
The composition of the global talent pool has changed…
Countries’ share in the population with tertiary education, for 25-34 and 55-64 year-old age
groups, percentage (2009)
55-64-year-old population 25-34-year-old population
Education at a Glance
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
About 39 million people About 81 million people
who attained tertiary level who attained tertiary level
16. 16
16 The composition of the global talent pool has changed…
Countries’ share in the population with tertiary education, for 25-34 and 55-64 year-
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
old age groups, percentage (2009)
55-64-year-old population 25-34-year-old population
Education at a Glance
United
United other, 14.5
States, 20.5
other, 12.9 States, 35.8
Korea, 1.6
Australia, 1.7 Korea, 5.7
Mexico, 1.8 Australia, 1.6
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Italy, 1.9
Mexico, 3.9
Spain, 2.1
Italy, 2.0 Japan, 10.9
Brazil, 3.5
Spain, 3.5
France, 3.5
Canada, 4.2 Brazil, 4.5
United France, 4.1 China, 18.3
Kingdom, 5.3 Japan, 12.4 Canada, 3.1
Germany, 6.3 Germany, 3.1
China, 6.9
United
Kingdom, 4.4
17. 17
17
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
…and will continue to change
Share of new entrants into tertiary education in 2009 (all OECD and G20 countries)
Other China, 36.6%
Education at a Glance
countries, 4.8%
Netherlands, 0.5
% Other
Portugal 0.5%
Chile, 1.3% Czech Republic 0.4%
Australia, 1.3% Israel 0.4%
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Sweden 0.4%
Italy, 1.4%
Belgium 0.4%
Spain, 1.6% Hungary 0.4%
Poland, 2.1% Austria 0.4%
New Zealand 0.3%
Germany, 2.5% United Switzerland 0.3%
States, 12.9%Slovak Republic 0.3%
Argentina, 2.7%
Denmark 0.2%
Korea, 3.1% Norway 0.2%
Ireland 0.2%
Mexico, 3.1% Russian Finland 0.2%
Federation, 10.0 Slovenia 0.1%
United
% Estonia 0.1%
Kingdom, 3.3%
Japan, 4.2% Indonesia, 4.9% Iceland 0.0%
Turkey, 3.7%
18. 18
18
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
…as also visible in the current output of schools
Share of upper secondary graduates in 2009
(all OECD and G20 countries)
Other China, 42.6%
Education at a Glance
countries, 3.8%
Chile, 0.6%
Other
Netherlands, 0.7 Belgium 0.4%
% Portugal 0.4%
Argentina, 0.9% Czech Republic 0.3%
Australia, 1.0% Hungary 0.3%
Israel 0.3%
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Spain, 1.0%
Sweden 0.3%
Canada, 1.1% Austria 0.3%
Poland, 1.4% Switzerland 0.2%
Slovak Republic 0.2%
Italy, 1.5%
Finland 0.2%
Turkey, 1.6% United
Norway 0.2%
States, 9.9%
Korea, 1.7% New Zealand 0.2%
United Denmark 0.2%
Kingdom, 2.2% Brazil, 7.3% Ireland 0.2%
Germany, 2.5% Slovenia 0.1%
France, 2.8% Estonia 0.0%
Indonesia, 6.1%
Mexico, 2.8% Iceland 0.0%
Russian Luxembourg 0.0%
Japan, 3.4% Federation, 5.2%
19. 19
19
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Education at a Glance
The increase in the number of knowledge workers has
not led to a decrease in their pay
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
…which is what happened to low-skilled workers
20. Components of the private net present value for a man with higher
20 20 education (2007 or latest available year)
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Direct cost Foregone earnings Income tax effect Social contribution effect
Transfers effect Grosss earnings benefits Unemployment effect
Portugal 373,851
Education at a Glance
United States 323,808
Italy 311,966
Korea 300,868
Ireland 253,947
Czech Republic 240,449
Hungary 230,098
Slovenia 225,663
Poland 215,125
United Kingdom 207,653
Canada 175,670
OECD Average 175,067
Austria 173,522
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Germany 147,769
France 144,133
Japan 143,018
Finland 135,515 Net
Belgium 115,464 present
Netherlands 112,928 value in
Australia 100,520
Spain 95,320 USD
Norway 92,320 equ.
New Zealand 74,457
Turkey 64,177
Sweden 62,481
Denmark 55,946
-400,000 -200,000 0 200,000 400,000 600,000 800,000
USD equivalent
C hart A9.3
21. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 21
21
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
10,000
0
Luxembourg USD
Chart A10.4
United States
Austria
Ireland
Netherlands
Australia
United Kingdom
Canada
Korea
Norway
Germany
Italy
Sweden
OECD Average
Czech Republic
New Zealand
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
France
Belgium
Spain
Net income (Purchasing Power Parity-adjusted)
Israel
Slovenia
education (2009 or latest year available)
Portugal
Greece
Slovak Republic
Hungary
Net income in USD for 25-64 year-olds with a tertiary
Poland
Estonia
22. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 22
22
Taxpayers are getting a good return too
23. Public cost and benefits for a man obtaining tertiary education
23
23
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
(2007 or latest available year)
Public benefits Public costs
United States 193,584
Germany 168,649
Belgium 167,241
Hungary 166,872
Education at a Glance
Slovenia 155,664
Finland 100,177
United Kingdom 95,322
Netherlands 95,030
Poland 94,125
OECD Average 91,036
Austria 89,705
Portugal 89,464
Korea 89,034
Ireland 85,917
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Australia 84,532
Italy 82,932
Czech Republic 81,307
Canada 79,774
Japan 67,411
France 63,701
Net present
Norway 43,419
value
New Zealand 46,482
Sweden 37,542
Spain 29,582
Denmark 28,621
Turkey 21,724
Chart A9.5 0 50,000 100,000 150,000 200,000 250,000
In equivalent USD
24. 24
24
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Education at a Glance
The crisis hit
the least educated hardest
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
The unemployment rate for 15-29 year-olds increased,
on average, from 10.2% to 13.5%
Lack of relevant skills/experience brings higher
unemployment risk for recent entrants
to the labour force
25. 25
25
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
When the crisis hit
Percentage-point change between 2008-09 in unemployment rate for 15-29 year-olds
2008 2009
Below upper secondary Tertiary education (%)
education (%)
Spain Spain
Education at a Glance
Estonia Estonia
Turkey Turkey
Ireland Ireland
Slovak Republic Slovak Republic
United States United States
Greece Greece
Hungary Hungary
Portugal Portugal
Canada Canada
Finland Finland
Israel Israel
Germany Germany
Chile Chile
Poland Poland
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Brazil Brazil
France France
OECD average OECD average
Belgium Belgium
Sweden Sweden
Japan Japan
Italy Italy
Slovenia Slovenia
Czech Republic Czech Republic
Denmark Denmark
Mexico Mexico
Australia Australia
New Zealand New Zealand
Korea Korea
Austria Austria
United Kingdom United Kingdom
Luxembourg Luxembourg
Switzerland Switzerland
Netherlands Netherlands
Norway Norway
C3.1 - 10 20 30 40 - 10 20 30 40
26. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 26
26
Who pays for what, when and how?
27. Average annual tuition fees charged by tertiary-type A public
27
27
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
institutions for full-time national students (academic year 2008-
USD 09)
United States (70%, 29 910)
6000
Education at a Glance
Korea (71%, 10 109)
5000
United Kingdom1 (61%, 15 314)
Japan (49%, 16 533),
Australia (94%, 16 297),
4000
Canada (m, 24 384) This chart does not take
into account grants,
New Zealand (78%, 11 125) subsidies or loans that
3000
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
partially or fully offset
the students’ tuition fees
2000
Netherlands (63%, 17 245)
Portugal (84%, 10 373), Italy (50%, 9 556),
1000 Spain (46%, 13 928),
Austria (54%, 15 081), Switzerland (41%, 23 284)
Belgium (Fr. and Fl.) (m, m)
500
France (m, 14 945)
Chart 0 Czech Republic (59%, 8 738), Denmark (55%, 17 634), Finland (69%, 15 402), Ireland (51%, 16 284),
B5.2 Iceland (77%, 10 429), Mexico (35%, 7 504), Norway (77%, 18 942), Sweden (68%, 20 864)
1. Public institutions do not exist at this level of education and most students are enrolled in government-dependent private institutions.
28. 28
28
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Average tuition fees and proportion of students who benefit from
public loans and/or scholarships/grants
Tertiary-type A, public institutions, academic year 2008/09, national full-time students
Bubble size shows
7000 graduation rates
Group 2:
Group 3: Potentially high financial barriers
Education at a Glance
Average tuition fees charged by public institutions in USD
Extensive and broadly uniform cost for entry to tertiary-type A United States
6000 across students, student
sharing education, but also large public
support systems somewhat less subsidies to students.
developed. Japan
5000
4000 Australia
Group 4:
Group 1:
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
3000
Relatively low financial barriers to
No (or low) financial barriers New Zealand
entry to tertiary education and
relatively low subsidies for tertiary studies due to
tuition fees and still a high level
2000 of student aid.
Italy Netherlands
Switzerland Spain
1000 Austria
Belgium (Fl.) Sweden
Belgium (Fr.) Finland Danemark
0 France Norway
Mexico
Iceland
1000
0
Chart B5.1 25 50 75 100
% of students who benefit from public loans AND/OR sholarships/grants
29. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 29
29
B7.1
-4,000
-2,000
2,000
4,000
0
Chart
Switzerland
using PPPs
Spain
In equivalent USD
Denmark
Belgium (Fl.)
Portugal
Belgium (Fr.)
Germany
Greece
Netherlands
Ireland
Austria
Japan
Norway
Australia
France
United Kingdom
Korea
Contribution of teaching time
Difference with OECD average
United States
Contribution of teachers' salary
Contribution of instruction time
Iceland
Contribution of estimated class size
Italy
New Zealand
Finland
Slovenia
Israel
per upper secondary student (2008)
Czech Republic
Poland
Hungary
Turkey
Estonia
Contribution (in USD) of various factors to salary cost
Chile
30. 30
30
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Relationships between performance in science and total
science learning time (PISA 2006)
Score
More total learning time does not
600
necessarily mean better
performance …
Education at a Glance
Finland
550 New Zealand
Estonia Canada
Switzerland Australia
Netherlands Slovenia
Japan Austria Belgium Germany Korea United Kingdom
Czech Republic
Hungary
500 Ireland
Sweden
France Denmark Poland
Iceland United States
Spain Russian Federation
Luxembourg Norway
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Slovak Republic
Italy Portugal Greece
Israel
450
Chile
Turkey
Mexico
400
Argentina Brazil Indonesia
R²=0,02
350
3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 5.5 6.0 6.5 7.0 7.5 8.0
Box D1.2 Total science learning time (hours per week)
31. Relationships between performance in science and relative learning
31
31
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
time in regular school science lessons (PISA 2006)
(Share of learning hours in regular school lessons out of total science learning time)
Score
…while the higher the percentage of
600 students’ total learning time spent
Education at a Glance
during normal school hours, the better
countries perform.
Finland
550 New Zealand
Estonia Canada Japan
Netherlands Australia
Slovenia Germany Korea
Austria United Kingdom
Hungary Switzerland Belgium Czech Republic
500 Luxembourg Sweden
Poland United States Norway
Russian Federation France Denmark
Spain Slovak Republic Iceland
Italy
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Greece Portugal
450 Israel
Ireland
Chile Turkey
Mexico
400
Brazil Indonesia
Argentina
R²=0,50
350
45 50 55 60 65 70 75 80
Share of learning hours in regular school lessons out of total science learning time (%)
Box D1.2
32. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 32
32
0
1
2
Spain
Portugal
Luxembourg
Korea
Chart D3.1
Germany
Denmark
Finland
Belgium (Fl.)
Scotland
Ireland
Belgium (Fr.)
Australia
France
Estonia
England
Slovenia
Netherlands
OECD average
educated workers
Teachers’ pay
Sweden
latest available year)
Israel
Teachers fare better than tertiary-
Poland
Norway
Italy
Austria
United States
educated workers
Czech Republic
Iceland
Hungary
Teachers fare worse than tertiary-
Slovak Republic
full-time, full-year workers with tertiary education aged 25 to 64 (2009 or
Ratio of salary after 15 years of experience/minimum training to earnings for
33. 33
33
Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Education at a Glance
Lifelong learning is becoming a reality…
…but not for all
Andreas Schleicher
13 September 2011
Those who need it most get the least of it
34. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 34
34
500
0
2,000
2,500
1,000
1,500
Hours
Denmark
Chart C5.1
Sweden
Finland
Norway
Austria
Germany
Belgium
Switzerland
OECD average
Netherlands
Czech Republic
Estonia
Slovak Republic
Spain
Canada
All non-formal education
United States
Portugal
Job-related non-formal education
United Kingdom
Korea
formal education (2007)
New Zealand
Poland
Slovenia
Greece
Italy
Hungary
Expected hours over the working life in all
Turkey
non-formal education and in job-related non-
35. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 35
35
20
40
60
80
120
140
100
0
C5.3
Hours of
Chart
instruction
Denmark
Hungary
Belgium
Austria
Spain
Norway
Finland
Portugal
Not attained ISCED 3
Greece
Poland
OECD average
Sweden
Germany
Netherlands
Czech Republic
Attained ISCED 3/4
Canada
Switzerland
Turkey
Slovak Republic
related non-formal education,
Estonia
by educational attainment (2007)
United States
Korea
Attained ISCED 5/6
New Zealand
United Kingdom
Italy
Hours of instruction per employed participant in job-
Slovenia
36. 13 September 2011 Key findings from the 2011 edition of
Andreas Schleicher Education at a Glance 36
36
More Information…
www.oecd.org/edu/eag2011
Notes de l'éditeur
The first thing you see is a dramatic expansion of higher education.
This chart shows you the college graduation rate on the horizontal axis, and how much countries invest per college student each year. Each dot is one country.
This shows you both how rapidly education systems have expanded but also how much the pace of change has differed across countries. The United States, that was the benchmark for higher education output in 1995, is now an average performer because so many countries have expanded higher education so much faster.In fact, if you followed this chart closely, you will see that, while most countries have moved towards the right, towards more people completing degrees, the US has primarily moved upwards, becoming more expensive.
You can see this here once more.
The expansion of higher education has had significant implications on the global talent pool (here 36 countries with comparable data). Among the age group nearing retirement, there are 39 million with a tertiary qualification. Among the age group entering the labour-force, it is 81 million.
But while in the older age group every third person in global talent pool was in the United States, it is only every fifth in the younger age group. China’s share of this global talent pool has expanded from less 7% among the older age group to 18% among those who have just entered the labor market – just 2 percentage points below that of the U.S. In sum, the US still has one of most highly educated labour forces in the OECD area. With 41% of the adult population having attained a tertiary degree, the US ranks among the top five countries on this measure, and has over 10 percentage points more of its labour force with this level of education than the OECD average (30%). But much of this advantage stems from a high educational level among older age groups. The US, together with Germany and Israel, are the only countries where attainment levels among those about to leave the labour market (55-64 year-olds) are similar to those who have just entered the labour market (25-34 year-olds). This is why the picture looks very different among younger age groups. Among those 25-34 year-olds who have recently entered the labour market, the US ranks 15th among 34 OECD countries in tertiary attainment (Table A1.3a). Similarly, the rate of graduation from tertiary education has increased in the US from 42% in 2000 to 49% in 2009, but the pace of the expansion has been more rapid in other countries: on average across OECD countries, graduation rates have increased from 37% to 47%. Graduation rates from longer, theory-based programmes (tertiary-type A) and advanced research programmes in the US stand at the OECD average of 38% (Table A3.2).
When you ahead into the future output of education systems, by comparing the number of people who are entering higher education, you can see even more dramatic changes.
And the picture becomes even more pronounced when you look at the number of high school graduates across countries, which represent the future pool of potential university entrants.
Tertiary education brings substantial economic benefits to individuals. On average across OECD countries, a person with a tertiary education can expect to earn over 50% more than a person with an upper secondary education. This premium is 79% in the U.S., among the highest in the OECD area (ranked 6 of 34) and provides a solid incentive for completing higher levels of education. The penalty for not completing high school is particularly severe in the US: someone who has not completed an upper secondary education can only expect to receive 64% of a high school graduate’s earnings (77% on average across OECD countries). Education thus determines access to well-paid jobs more in the US than in other OECD countries. As in most other countries, the earnings premium for those with higher education has been increasing over the past decade, suggesting that, in the US, the supply of tertiary-educated workers has not kept up with demand. The earnings premium has increased from 66% in 1999 to 79% in 2009, and the pace of the increase appears to be have intensified by the current economic crisis (Table A8.2a).
While labour costs for higher-educated workers are high in the US, employer contributions, income taxes and social contributions need to be paid and net income is lower. An experienced (45-54 year-old) tertiary educated individual can expect to keep 55% of the labour costs as net income (the same as the OECD average); whereas someone of that age who has not attained an upper secondary education keeps 64% (a bit more than the OECD average of 62%). In New Zealand, Israel and Korea, higher-educated individuals keep more than 70% of labour costs (Chart A10.1). High earnings, average tax rates and relatively inexpensive labour (costs) in lower skills segments make the US an attractive place to live for someone with a higher education. The net purchasing power (income) for those with a higher education is the highest among OECD countries, with the exception of Luxembourg. A higher-educated individual has a net spending power of USD 52,000 per year in comparison with USD 32,000 on average in OECD countries. Someone with an upper secondary education, working full time, has a net income of USD 33,000 (the OECD average is USD 23,000), and a full-time worker who has not attained an upper secondary education can expect a net income of USD 23,000 (the OECD average is USD 19,000). The highest net earnings among those with low levels of education are found in Australia, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Norway, where an individual who has not attained an upper secondary education can expect to earn (PPP) USD 25 000 per year (Chart A10.5).
The additional taxes and social contributions paid by tertiary graduates make investment in this level of education very profitable, from the public perspective.
The net gain over the working life of a tertiary-educated man in the US is above USD 190,000 – the highest in the OECD area and well above the OECD average of USD 91,000. Among tertiary-educated women in the US, the net gain is close to USD 90,000, also well above the OECD average of USD 55,000. These high returns to taxpayers are largely seen in income taxes paid by tertiary graduates, who have a particularly large earnings premium in the US. In addition, the public share of the direct costs for higher education is among the lowest in the OECD area. Further expanding higher education to meet labour-market demands thus makes good economic sense from a public perspective (Table A9.4).
Education is generally good insurance against unemployment and for staying employed in difficult economic times, and this has been particularly true in the US.
Since the start of the recession in 2007, employment rates among those who have not completed high school have dropped by almost 6 percentage points, and stand at 52.5%. In comparison, employment rates among those with tertiary education declined by only 2.5 percentage points, and the overall employment rate is still above 80% (80.8%), over 28 percentage points higher than for those without a high school degree (Table A7.3a).Unemployment rates for those without a high school education have shot up to 15.8% in 2009, more than 4 percentage points above the OECD average. Some 9.8% of those who have completed high school are unemployed (3 percentage points above OECD average), while unemployment rates has stayed below 5% (4.9%) for college graduates, which is just half a percentage point above the OECD average (A7.4a). The proportion of individuals employed in full-time jobs tells a similar story: only 58% of those without an upper secondary education are employed full-time (the OECD average is 66%); 69% of those with an upper secondary education are in full-time employment (the OECD average is 72%); and 76% of those with a higher education are in full-time jobs (the OECD average is 75%) (Table A7.5).As a result, the job market in the US is thus particularly difficult for those without a college degree. Higher-educated individuals have fared substantially better in this recession and face a job market that is no worse, on average, than in other OECD countries.
Higher education is costly, and direct costs, such as tuition fees, are the highest in the US in the OECD area.
On average, a graduate can expect to spend USD 70,000 in direct costs (the OECD average is USD 11,000) and lose an additional USD 39,000 in earnings foregone while in studies. The US and Japan are the only countries where the total investment costs exceed USD 100,000. On average across OECD countries, an individual can expect to invest USD 50 000 to acquire a tertiary qualification, when direct and indirect costs are taken into account (Table A9.3).While the public side can expect to receive these average returns, outcomes for educated workers can vary greatly, and thus investing in higher education carries substantial financial risk for the individual. The risk of a poor earnings outcome for a highly educated worker is relatively high in the US, where 13% of those with a higher education earn half or below half of the median salary. Only Austria, Canada and Germany have larger proportions of higher-educated workers in this low-income group (Chart A8.4).Because of the differences in risk, there is a case to be made for assisting individuals in financing their education, as the investment is essentially risk-free on the public side and governments can typically borrow at a lower rate than individuals. The possibility of transferring lower government borrowing costs to the individual can, in many instances, make a substantial difference to the value of education due to lower discount rates.
Because of the large investment and uncertainty in outcomes, the decision to continue education at the tertiary level is a difficult one to take in the US, particularly for young individuals from less-affluent backgrounds. To alleviate the financial burden, most countries provide loans and grants to students. Income-contingent loans and loans with low interest rates are important, as they bring more people into higher education, reduce risk, and provide access to education while still maintaining students’ stake in their own investment and keeping direct costs for education under control.Despite the high private costs for education, public subsidies for financial aid to students in the US are similar to that of other OECD countries. In the US, 20.3% of public expenditure is channelled to financial aid, compared with the OECD average of 19.4% (Table B5.1). Some 15.5% of these subsidies are geared towards scholarships and grants (the OECD average is 11.4%), and only 4.8% of public expenditure is directed towards student loans (the OECD average is 8.9%).
The US may also face difficulties with attracting the best students to the education profession. In absolute terms, teachers are fairly well paid from an international perspective, but earn substantially less than their peers with similar education backgrounds. The starting salary for a teacher in primary education is USD 36,502 compared with USD 29,767 on average across the OECD. Salary scales are typically less steep than in other countries. The earnings advantage compared with other countries is reduced in upper secondary education, where a teacher with minimum training at the top of the scale can expect to earn USD 54 666 compared with USD 53 651 on average in the OECD area (Table D3.1).However, in the US, an upper secondary teacher with 15 years of experience can expect to receive only 65% of the earnings of a tertiary-educated individual working in another profession, a proportion substantially below that observed in other OECD countries (85%). The relatively low wages for teachers in primary, secondary, and upper secondary education compared with the earnings of people with similar educational backgrounds in other occupations suggests that salaries alone will not attract the most talented students to the education profession in the US (Table D3.2).
Labour-force skills are acquired both during and beyond initial education, and providing access to education and training throughout the working life is becoming increasingly important for maintaining a competitive edge and keeping people employed. A substantial portion of the adult population is educated and trained each year. Close to 50% of the adult population in the US receives some education and training during a year, which is well above the OECD average of 40% and more than in Canada, Denmark and Germany (Table C5.3a).But fewer adults participate in job-related training (non-formal education) than in other OECD countries, and only 9% of those who have not attained an upper secondary education receive this type of training. The expected number of hours of job-related training over the working life is below the OECD average across all educational levels; and those without an upper secondary education can expect to receive only a third as many hours of job-related training as individuals with a similar level of education receive in other OECD countries (Table C5.1b.).