Policy Findings Related to Military Service from the Youth Cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience.
Abstract
Some of the more policy-relevant findings from the Youth Cohort of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience (NLS) are summarized. Analyses of two data waves show that minorities from better backgrounds and with better credentials are disproportionately attracted to the armed forces. Among whites, servicemen and out-of school civilians employed full time were similiar on several measures. Overall, the data show that the services recruit young men of high quality relative to the pool of out-of-school youth employed full time. Factors correlating with positive intentions to enlist were found to differ among white, Hispanic, and black male high school seniors. Males and females aged 17 to 21 years old in 1980 agreed that serving in the military was a good thing to do, but only 22 percent of the males and 11 percent of the females said they would try to enlist. Differences in reenlistment intentions appeared between male and female and white minority first-term service personnel; females and minorities had higher reenlistment intentions probably because their civilian job opportunities are not comparable to those of white males. Comparison of the labor market experience of veterans, attriters, and those who never served showed that immediately after serving male veterans had lower hourly earnings than those who had never served, but by 10 months after service this earnings gap disappeared. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA185414
Entities
People
- Choongsoo Kim
- Kyle Johnson
- Michael E. Borus
Organizations
- Ohio State University