Returns to firm-provided training in France: Evidence on mobility and wages

While numerous studies have provided selectivity-corrected estimates of the wage returns to training both in the US and in European countries, less is known about the impact of training on mobility on the labour market. In this paper, we estimate the impact of firmprovided training on both the employment-unemployment and job-to-job transitions using French panel data covering the 1998-2000 period. We find that participating to a training session in 1998 reduces the probability to experience an employment-unemployment transition during the period and that the probability to switch firms is higher among untrained workers. Additional results on the effect of training on wages indicate that training participation in 1998 increases wages by 7% in 2000, the wage premium remaining flat along the wage distribution.