=Paper= {{Paper |id=Vol-3364/paper01 |storemode=property |title=Economic analysis of factors associated with education and employment |pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3364/paper01.pdf |volume=Vol-3364 |authors=George Abuselidze,Gia Zoidze |dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/cte/AbuselidzeZ22 }} ==Economic analysis of factors associated with education and employment== https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3364/paper01.pdf
Economic analysis of factors associated with
education and employment
George Abuselidze1 , Gia Zoidze1
1
    Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University, 35 Ninoshvili Str., Batumi, 6010, Georgia


                                      Abstract
                                      The purpose of the research is to determine and analyze the current situation in the Georgian economy,
                                      labor market requirements, existing workforce structure, main challenges and trends. Important studies
                                      were conducted, within the framework of which market requirements were analyzed, consultations
                                      were held with experts in the field, employers, representatives of the Center for the Development of
                                      the Quality of Education; The present situation of supply and demand in the educational market is
                                      studied and analyzed. Qualitative and quantitative studies were also conducted, within the framework of
                                      which the following were identified: the compatibility of higher education programs with the market
                                      requirements, the inclusion of practical components in the educational process, the relationship between
                                      higher educational institutions and students, and the processes of interaction between education and
                                      the labor market. We think that the promotion of professional education will definitely lead us to the
                                      desired results, both from the point of view of the economy of Georgia and the general situation in the
                                      country. There is simply a need for more involvement from the state and, accordingly, more properly
                                      conducted measures, raising the level of awareness in society and creating all the prerequisites in order to
                                      change the attitude towards vocational schools as positively as possible. All this will eventually become
                                      a contributing factor for improving the level of education or the economic situation. The study concludes
                                      with findings and suggestions, which cover the issues facing the Georgian labor market and the labor
                                      force demand vision. The examination of the influence of higher education on employment and income
                                      in Georgia demonstrates that the investment in higher education yields a discernible return at this point,
                                      but the human capital developed in the higher education system is still not being employed efficiently in
                                      the country.

                                      Keywords
                                      economic effect of education, labor market, factors associated with education and employment, impor-
                                      tance of professional education for the economy, rate of public return of higher education




1. Introduction
In general, the countries have been giving more and more importance to education in the recent
period, and accordingly they will pay more expenses for the latter as possible. Why is this
happening? The answer is that education is a kind of investment in the creation of human
capital. Simply put, the state will pay for the education of a specific person today because it
will benefit from this person in the future, it may be performing a specific job, participating in
technological progress, introducing innovations or any other form that has a positive impact on
the economic and general environment of the country.

CTE 2022: 10th Workshop on Cloud Technologies in Education, May 23, 2022, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine
" george.abuselidze@bsu.edu.ge (G. Abuselidze)
 0000-0002-5834-1233 (G. Abuselidze); 0000-0002-0155-5775 (G. Zoidze)
                                    © 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
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                                                                                                       24
   To some extent, differences in education levels can also explain differences in income between
countries, but not always. The truth is that a high level of education also indicates a high level
of economic development and growth of the country. However, since there are many other
factors that have a noticeable impact on the economy, a high level of education alone is not
enough to maintain its good condition. Even if we ignore the influence of other factors, it is still
an issue that deserves our attention. Having the necessary resources (in this case, we mean a
high level of education) does not indicate guaranteed good results, it is necessary to give these
resources the right direction and use them effectively.
   To better understand the relationship between education and economy, here we can briefly
talk about the factors that have been identified by researchers over time and which have a direct
impact on the country’s economy:

    • Education increases the potential for innovation, which creates the basis for economic
      growth;
    • Educated workforce is highly productive (easily assimilates technologies) and therefore
      contributes to the growth and development of the economy;
    • By investing in education, a better environment is created for technological develop-
      ment, which naturally has a positive impact on the increase in labor productivity and,
      accordingly, on the economy.

   Here, as an example, we cite the research of Krueger and Lindahl [1], which meant the
creation of such a tool that would make it possible to compare school years with economic
growth. The result of this was the following: from one additional year of education, more than
10% gains were received. Despite the shortcomings that accompanied such measurement, it is
still possible to create a certain idea about the relationship between education and economic
growth.
   Also, we can consider the method of Hanushek and Woessmann [2], which was about
comparing the quality of education and economic growth by countries. TIMSS and PISA tests
were used in the method, and the observation finally showed that high results of the tests
indicated an appropriate expression of economic growth in percentages of GDP.
   The study of the economic effect of education has become particularly noteworthy since the
1980s and 1990s, due to the wage inequality in different countries. According to international
studies on the assessment of individual educational outcomes, for each additional year of
formal education, the world average of individual financial outcomes increases by 10% [3].
It is significant that the highest coefficient of economic growth is recorded in the case of
countries with low and middle income (10.9 and 10.7 respectively). In high-income countries,
the coefficient of growth is 7.4.
   It is also worth noting that over the last 12 years, the amount of education gaps has decreased
by 0.6%, as access to formal education has increased worldwide and, therefore, the average
number of years of formal education (especially in countries with strong economies). This
circumstance leads to the strengthening of competition in local labor markets based on the
supply of human resources in excess of the existing demand, and also to the proliferation
of low-income jobs, which, in turn, lowers the individual financial benefits of education [4].
Therefore, finance for human capital is typically considered as an investment aimed at enabling



                                                25
individuals to fully participate in economically productive activities in order to make a livelihood
[5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]. To do this, the student must be transformed from a passive consumer
of knowledge into an active creator of knowledge. Continually enhance ability to apply new
information to practical situations in order to advance critical technical, financial, socioeconomic,
legal, and management procedures; to increase own and society’s capacity for economic activity
via social responsibility and collaboration [14].
   As a result, the article examines the present trends in employment and unemployment in
the country, covering industry and age. The labor market’s demand component has been
investigated, and the key sectors with especially strong economic activity have been identified,
which is one of the required criteria for the expansion of employment in these areas.


2. Methods
Important studies were conducted, within the framework of which market requirements were
analyzed, consultations were held with experts in the field, employers, representatives of
the Center for the Development of the Quality of Education; the present situation of supply
and demand in the educational market is studied and analyzed. Qualitative and quantitative
studies were also conducted, within the framework of which the following were identified: the
compatibility of higher education programs with the market requirements, the inclusion of
practical components in the educational process, the relationship between higher educational
institutions and students, and the processes of interaction between education and the labor
market. Furthermore, our research involves an examination of job searchers and jobs listed on
the website of a private recruitment agency.
   The topic of the research concerns 3 main issues:
   1. Demand/supply analysis for selected higher education programs.
   2. Determination of labor market requirements and challenges.
   3. The importance of professional education for the economy.
  This paper presents a study of the economic benefits of higher education (educational return)
in the population of Georgia from a microeconomic perspective, in order to evaluate the
personal/individual benefits (monetary benefits) of investment in education in the form of
years and the impact of higher education on employment opportunities. As we have already
mentioned, individual education gains show how much an individual’s income increases (or does
not increase) according to the number of years spent on formal education. Mincer’s “income
equality” is considered one of the most common methods for determining this relationship, and
variables such as, first of all, the possibility of employment, as well as professional growth and
advancement, job stability, the degree of autonomy in the work process, and so on, are used to
determine non-monetary benefits [15]. After that, overall, it affects job satisfaction.




                                                 26
3. Results and discussion
3.1. The main challenges of the Georgian labor market
In post-communist countries, where economic reforms started relatively late, the restructuring
of the labor market took place differently from developed economies, where employment
increased in contradictory directions, in particular, requiring high and low qualifications. In
Georgia and other post-Soviet countries, the number of medium and low-skilled jobs has
increased, and there has been an increase in such activities where there is a high demand for
physical skills, for example, construction, the service sector, transportation, wholesale and
retail trade. Such transformations of the labor market in post-communist countries led to the
devaluation of the quality of education, knowledge and competencies of the largest part of the
adult population (credential inflation), considering that post-communist countries (including
Georgia) are characterized by a high share of the population with university education [16].
   Ultimately, this was reflected in high rates of highly skilled labor force, as the population
with higher education diplomas agreed to do low-skilled jobs [17]. At the same time, the
workforce of the older generation is not equipped with the knowledge or skills corresponding
to the requirements of the modern market, which, in turn, is an expression of the problem of
knowledge devaluation. In general, the mentioned part of the labor force remains “downgraded”
in the national labor market in workplaces with low productivity, where the possibility of
professional development is minimal, and those with lower competences become unemployed
[18, 19, 20].
   The process of “downgrading” is strengthened by the fact that in post-communist countries
the number of university graduates is constantly increasing, which exceeds the country’s
economic capabilities. As a result, on the one hand, there is an imbalance in the labor market in
terms of demand and supply of labor force, and on the other hand, the aging labor force is being
replaced by a new generation, which also accepts low-skilled work. As a result, competition in
the existing limited market increases and the aging workforce moves into even lower-level jobs
or into the unemployed category.
   Overall, an aging or young labor force that does not have modern education and skills hinders
the adoption of new technologies in the labor market, the development of innovative work
areas and the growth of productivity at the macroeconomic level of the country [21]. This is
because a strong, educated workforce has the necessary information, abilities, and skills that
potential employers are looking for [22].
   Employment of young people is one of Georgia’s major labor market issues. Young individuals
aged 15 to 24 in particular stand out as having a very high proportion of unemployment (figure 1).
This is determined by several factors. In Georgia, most young individuals in the work field
have a higher education, and after finishing their studies, they confront the following sorts of
problems:

1) There is no demand in the labor market for the professions they have learned,
2) The profession they have mastered is a highly competitive profession,
3) And/or their credentials and work experience do not fulfill labor market standards. Further-
   more, the percentage of frictional unemployment should be included in this group, because



                                               27
higher education, and after finishing their studies, they confront the following sorts of problems:
   1) There is no demand in the labor market for the professions they have learned,
   2) The profession they have mastered is a highly competitive profession,
   3) And/or their credentials and work experience do not fulfill labor market standards.
Furthermore, the percentage of frictional unemployment should be included in this group, because
young people require longer time to obtain the desired work, taking into consideration a variety of
reasons.

  60,0
  50,0
  40,0
  30,0
  20,0
  10,0
   0,0
          15-19     20-24     25-29    30-34     35-39     40-44    45-49     50-54     55-59    60-64      65+      სულ

                               Unemployment rate, 2020, %            Unemployment rate, 2021, %

Figure 1: Unemployment rate by age groups, data for 2020 and 2021.
Figure
Source:1: Unemployment
        National Statistics rate byof
                            Office  age groups,2021
                                      Georgia,  data[23].
                                                     for 2020 and 2021 [23].

     In addition, one of the main challenges of the Georgian labor market is demographic aging, which
     young
directly      people
           affects   therequire      longer
                          distribution          time
                                           of the      to obtain
                                                     labor  force inthe thedesired
                                                                             market work,     takingtheinto
                                                                                      and creates            consideration
                                                                                                          need  to assess howa
     variety of reasons.
capable    the  existing    human     capital    is now    or will   be  in the  future  to  produce   tangible   or intangible
benefits for the country [24].
    In
     Anaddition,     one of the
          aging workforce           main challenges
                                is associated                of the Georgian
                                                    with declining                 labor and
                                                                       health, physical    market    is demographic
                                                                                                mental   capabilities, asaging,
                                                                                                                            well
as  reduced   adaptive    behavior      to a  changing    work    environment,     devaluation
which directly affects the distribution of the labor force in the market and creates the need    of knowledge,     and  overall,
a decline in productivity [25]. Taking into account all these factors, the productivity of the labor force
to assess how capable the existing human capital is now or will be in the future to produce
increases, on average, until the age of 40, and then begins to decline. Despite such a generalized
tangible
reasoning,orthe intangible      benefits
                    international            for the
                                     literature    alsocountry
                                                         discusses[24].
                                                                      types of activities that have a positive correlation
with the aging of the workforce or are not at declining
    An   aging    workforce      is associated       with   all related health,
                                                                          [26]. Forphysical
                                                                                      example,and   mental
                                                                                                 in the  case capabilities,
                                                                                                               of a doctor and as
well   as reduced
a lawyer,              adaptive behavior
             labor productivity        increasestowitha changing
                                                           age; Thework laborenvironment,
                                                                               productivity ofdevaluation
                                                                                                  bank clerksofand knowledge,
                                                                                                                      electrical
and    overall,
engineers    doesa decline    in productivity
                     not depend     on age, however, [25]. Taking      into account
                                                             the productivity           all these factors,
                                                                                  of construction    workers thedecreases
                                                                                                                  productivity
                                                                                                                            with
age   [27, 28].
of the labor force increases, on average, until the age of 40, and then begins to decline. Despite
     In jobs that require problem-solving and fast-acting skills, productivity declines with age, while in
such a generalized reasoning, the international literature also discusses types of activities that
jobs that prioritize experience and verbal skills, an older workforce maintains high levels of
have    a positive
productivity     [29].correlation
                        Acceptable with        theeconomic,
                                         current     aging of technological
                                                                  the workforce   andororganizational
                                                                                         are not at allinnovations
                                                                                                          related [26,arep. also
                                                                                                                            150-
152].   For  example,      in  the   case   of  a  doctor   and    a lawyer,    labor   productivity
taken into account, which lead to frequent changes in work requirements and due to which the             increases    with  age;
the   laborofproductivity
weights        a number ofoffactors bank clerks       and electrical
                                              determining                engineersofdoes
                                                               the productivity         the not   depend(physical
                                                                                              workforce     on age, however,
                                                                                                                       abilities,
the
mentalproductivity      of construction
          abilities, level   of education, workers          decreases
                                               work experience)        alsowith  agein
                                                                             change    [21,
                                                                                         the27].
                                                                                              modern labor market [30].
It is
    Indifficult
        jobs that to say  with problem-solving
                     require     certainty what impact    andthe    rapidly transforming
                                                                 fast-acting                  labor market
                                                                                skills, productivity          will have
                                                                                                          declines       onage,
                                                                                                                      with   the
workforce of different age groups [31]. However, due to the fact that technological development
while in jobs that prioritize experience and verbal skills, an older workforce maintains high
reduces the demand for physical work in the modern labor market, it is expected that the workforce of
levels
the older of age
             productivity
                   group will [28].
                                 be able  Acceptable
                                             to maintaincurrent        economic,under
                                                             high productivity       technological
                                                                                            innovative and    organizational
                                                                                                         management,     which
innovations
will take careare      alsotargeted
                   of the    taken into       account,
                                        updating     of thewhich    lead toand
                                                             knowledge        frequent
                                                                                 skills ofchanges    in workregardless
                                                                                            the workforce,       requirements
                                                                                                                           of its
and    due to which
age indicators     [32]. the weights of a number of factors determining the productivity of the
workforce (physical abilities, mental abilities, level of education, work experience) also change
in the modern labor market [29].
   It is difficult to say with certainty what impact the rapidly transforming labor market will
have on the workforce of different age groups [30]. However, due to the fact that technological
development reduces the demand for physical work in the modern labor market, it is expected
that the workforce of the older age group will be able to maintain high productivity under
innovative management, which will take care of the targeted updating of the knowledge and
skills of the workforce, regardless of its age indicators [31].




                                                              28
3.2. Factors associated with education and employment
Also, the results of the OECD 2016 report on economic structures by education field are in-
teresting. Engineering and construction are associated with higher financial benefits; Social
Sciences, Business and Law; Exact, natural and computer sciences. The financial benefits of
those educated in the above-mentioned fields are, on average, 10% higher than the benefits of
other graduates. As for university graduates in pedagogy, education and humanities, as well as
language and arts, their financial benefit is 15% less than the average income [19].
   In addition, it is important to observe the distribution in the labor market according to their
education. The research results reveal that:
    • The share of hired employees with higher education is high in the education system (82%),
      complex office/administrative (81%) and finance/banking/insurance (86%) fields;
    • Employees with school education represent the majority in defense and security (82%),
      production (57%) and construction (61%);
    • Employees with professional education dominate in wholesale and retail trade (38%), as
      well as in individual services (43%).
   Along with the factors related to education, the factors associated with the employment
market are no less important. This refers to the number and types of vacancies in the market
[32, 33].
   In 2021, according to the results of the labor market demand component survey conducted in
Georgia, trade, repair of cars and household items, restaurants and hotels, metallurgical industry,
individual services are the economic activities in which employers experience a shortage of
personnel [34]. There is a special demand for teachers and healthcare professions in the regions.
However, despite the existing differences, there is a demand for accountants, waiters, sales
assistants in all regions of Georgia (including Tbilisi). Therefore, our research also includes
the analysis of job seekers and vacancies registered on the website of the private employment
agency (hr.ge). According to Hr.ge, more specifically, what positions are in demand, is given in
figure 2 [35].
   Regarding the labor force recruitment problems, the majority of the employing organizations
point out that there is a shortage of specific and necessary personnel in Georgia and that the
applicants do not have the relevant skills for the job positions. Sales and marketing managers,
confectioners, bank cashiers, teachers, journalists and others are among the deficient professions.
   According to the ISCO-08 classification [36], the above-mentioned positions are mostly
combined in the service and sales, individual service fields, as well as in the category of
artisans/related workers and education professionals. Taking this into account, it is interesting
to see what field of study graduates predominate in Georgia today and how professional
preferences change over time (figure 3).
   According to the 2022 data of the National Statistics Office of Georgia, among the under-
graduate graduates of both state and private universities, the majority are graduates of social
sciences, business and law. These programs have maintained their leading position since 2011.
Educational programs related to the field of service and engineering and construction fields in
both state and private universities are characterized by an increasing number of graduates. A
downward trend is evident in the case of health and social service programs and agricultural
education programs.



                                                29
individual services are the economic activities in which employers experience a shortage of personnel
[35]. There is a special demand for teachers and healthcare professions in the regions. However,
despite the existing differences, there is a demand for accountants, waiters, sales assistants in all
regions of Georgia (including Tbilisi). Therefore, our research also includes the analysis of job
seekers and vacancies registered on the website of the private employment agency (hr.ge). According
to Hr.ge, more specifically, what positions are in demand, is given in Figure 2 [36].

        12 000                                                                                30,0%

        10 000                                                                                25,0%

         8 000                                                                                20,0%

         6 000                                                                                15,0%

         4 000                                                                                10,0%

         2 000                                                                                5,0%

             0                                                                                0,0%




                                             Quantity      %

Figure
 Figure2:2:Vacancies
            Vacanciespublished
                      publishedon
                                onHr.ge
                                   Hr.geby
                                         bymain
                                           mainprofessional
                                                professional groups,
                                                             groups, 2020.
                                                                     2020 [34, 35].
Source: Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. 2021; Official website of the
employment agency: www.hr.ge [35, 36]
3.3. The importance of professional education for the economy
In general, the functioning of the economy is significantly influenced by the level of unemploy-
ment. A high level of unemployment can have a very noticeable and negative impact on the
economy and, accordingly, on the standard of living of the society [38]. It is associated with
low incomes, low incomes in turn indicate deterioration of living standards and reduction of
consumption [39, 40]. Reduced consumption naturally also has a negative impact on output: no
demand, no supply. The reduced output further increases the ranks of the unemployed, and so
endlessly, if it were not for the various measures taken by the state and the fight against the
mentioned challenges [41, 42, 43].
   Unfortunately, vocational education in Georgia is not in a very good condition, more and
more people reach higher education institutions, and less and less people remain in the ranks of
those wishing to receive vocational education [22, 44]. This ultimately leads to the fact that we
have too many graduates of higher educational institutions in the country, whose employment
is physically impossible [45].
   What will happen if the number of applicants is properly distributed between professional
and higher education institutions? We think that the better the conditions for professional
education, the more people will be interested in it, and all this will have a positive effect on
the level of unemployment. We are talking about the case when the redistribution of people
with higher and professional education will be logical, the demand for vocational schools will
increase and there will be a correct match between vacant places and working people [46, 47].



                                                 30
cashiers, teachers, journalists and others are among the deficient professions.
    According to the ISCO-08 classification [37], the above-mentioned positions are mostly combined
in the service and sales, individual service fields, as well as in the category of artisans/related workers
and education professionals. Taking this into account, it is interesting to see what field of study
graduates predominate in Georgia today and how professional preferences change over time (Figure
3).

  40 000

  35 000

  30 000

  25 000

  20 000

  15 000

  10 000

   5 000

        -




                                     2017    2018     2019     2020     2021    2022

Figure
 Figure3:3:Number
            Numberof
                   ofstudents
                      students in state higher
                                        higher educational
                                               educationalinstitutions
                                                           institutionsaccording
                                                                        accordingtotoprograms
                                                                                      programs.
                                                                                              [37].
Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2022 [38].

 However,
     According everything
                   to the 2022considered
                                data of theisNational
                                               not so simple,
                                                          Statisticssince  vocational
                                                                      Office            education
                                                                              of Georgia,   among thefaces  various
                                                                                                        undergraduate
 problems and challenges [48].
graduates    of  both  state and   private universities,   the  majority  are graduates   of social sciences,  business
andIflaw.   These    programs    have   maintained     their  leading  position  since  2011.   Educational
       we ignore unemployment (which is quite difficult in the case of Georgia), those professions,          programs
related to the field of service and engineering and construction fields in both state and private
 which vocational schools provide the opportunity to master, are quite important for the economy.
universities are characterized by an increasing number of graduates. A downward trend is evident in
 It iscase
the    goodof to  haveand
              health    higher
                            socialeducation,  it is good
                                    service programs     andtoagricultural
                                                                create the basis  of technological
                                                                            education  programs. progress and
 to increase the degree of innovation, but all this also requires graduates of vocational education
 programs.
3.3.       The importance of professional education for the economy
     We can cite a simple example to better understand the role of professional education. We
 know that the state will spend resources on education, on the other hand, the individual also
In general, the functioning of the economy is significantly influenced by the level of unemployment.
Aspends    money
    high level       and time on education,
                 of unemployment       can have but     often
                                                   a very       the costs
                                                            noticeable  andincurred
                                                                              negativeare  more,onand
                                                                                        impact      thethe benefits
                                                                                                         economy   and,
 received    are  less [49, 50, 51].  This  may   be  due   to the education   system,   less
accordingly, on the standard of living of the society [39]. It is associated with low incomes,effort of the studentlow
 himself or
incomes     in some    other reason.
                turn indicate           However,
                                deterioration    of the   factstandards
                                                     living     that expenses   were spent
                                                                          and reduction    of on  education at
                                                                                               consumption       the41].
                                                                                                              [40,
 initial stage does not change. At this time, we reach a situation where the expenses and time
 spent are in vain.
     Vocational education requires (in most cases) less costs and, most importantly, less time. As




                                                         31
good to have higher education, it is good to create the basis of technological progress and to increase
the degree of innovation, but all this also requires graduates of vocational education programs.
    We can cite a simple example to better understand the role of professional education. We know that
the state will spend resources on education, on the other hand, the individual also spends money and
time on education, but often the costs incurred are more, and the benefits received are less [49-51].
This may be due to the education system, less effort of the student himself or some other reason.
However, the fact that expenses were spent on education at the initial stage does not change. At this
  for the
time,  we results,     it is entirely
            reach a situation    wherepossible    for a and
                                        the expenses       person
                                                              timewith
                                                                   spentaarevocational
                                                                               in vain. education to have more
  income,    be able
    Vocational         to do more
                   education         work,
                               requires  (in and
                                             mosttherefore
                                                    cases) lessbenefit
                                                                 costs the
                                                                        and,economy     and themselves
                                                                              most importantly,              more
                                                                                                    less time.  As than
                                                                                                                    for the
  a person
results,  it iswith  a higher
                entirely        education
                           possible          couldwith
                                    for a person     [52].aTherefore,
                                                             vocational we    believetothat
                                                                         education      have professional
                                                                                                more income, education
                                                                                                                 be able to
do  morea work,
  plays              and therefore
            very important       rolebenefit
                                       in thethe    economy
                                                growth     and and   themselvesofmore
                                                                development               than a person
                                                                                     the country’s          with a and
                                                                                                       economy,     higher
education
  even more so in the effective distribution of resources (which is naturally accompanied by the in
              could   [53].  Therefore,  we   believe   that professional   education   plays   a very important    role
the growth and development of the country's economy, and even more so in the effective distribution
  improvement of the economy) [53].
of resources (which is naturally accompanied by the improvement of the economy) [54].
     Basedon
    Based     onthe
                  therecent
                       recent(2013-2021)
                               (2013-2021)datadataofofthetheNational
                                                             National   Statistics
                                                                      Statistics    OfficeofofGeorgia,
                                                                                 Office         Georgia,wewe   can
                                                                                                             can    con-
                                                                                                                  conclude
  clude  that   the  number    of  people  enrolled    in  vocational   schools  is characterized
that the number of people enrolled in vocational schools is characterized by a decreasing trend, whichby  a decreasing
istrend,  whichgood.
    not really      is notThe
                            really good. of
                                number     The  number ofinstitutions
                                              educational      educationalthatinstitutions
                                                                                  accepted that    accepted
                                                                                              students         students
                                                                                                        for professional
  for professional
programs                programs
              also decreased.       also
                                  The     decreased.
                                       decrease    in the The decrease
                                                            number        in the number
                                                                      of students   enrolledofinstudents
                                                                                                  vocationalenrolled  in is
                                                                                                                schools
  vocational
shown            schools
         in Figure    4. is shown in figure 4.

  25 000


  20 000


  15 000


  10 000


   5 000


        -
              2013        2014        2015        2016          2017      2018        2019        2020        2021

Figure
 Figure4:4:Admission
            Admissionofofstudents
                          studentsto
                                   toprofessional programs,2013-2021
                                     professional programs, 2013-2021.
                                                                     [54].
Source: National Statistics Office of Georgia, 2021 [52]
    It should be noted that over the years, a large part of the demand for vocational schools of
 Georgia came from the older population, and this demand from the students was quite small,
 although recently the situation is changing and by 2021, 60% of the population under the age of
 26 will be enrolled in vocational schools. Figure 5 allows us to make the mentioned conclusion,
 where the data of 2021 on students enrolled in vocational schools, divided by age groups, are
 presented.
    We think that the promotion of professional education will definitely lead us to the desired
 results, both from the point of view of the economy of Georgia and the general situation in the
 country. There is simply a need for more involvement from the state and, accordingly, more
 properly conducted measures, raising the level of awareness in society and creating all the
 prerequisites in order to change the attitude towards vocational schools as positively as possible.
 All this will eventually become a contributing factor for improving the level of education or the
 economic situation [55].
    In general, we believe that the promotion of vocational education, especially in the case of
 Georgia, will be one of the means for reducing the unemployment level and for the effective



                                                           32
came from the older population, and this demand from the students was quite small, although recently
the situation is changing and by 2021, 60% of the population under the age of 26 will be enrolled in
vocational schools. Figure 5 allows us to make the mentioned conclusion, where the data of 2021 on
students enrolled in vocational schools, divided by age groups, are presented.



                                                          up to 15 years
                                                               0%
                             33+
                             23%
                                                                                                             15-20
                                                                                                             35%




        27-32
        17%




                                                                       21-26
                                                                       25%
        Figure 5: Distribution of students in vocational schools by age, 2021 [54].


Figureformation
       5: Distribution   of students
                 of the labor market. in vocational
                                       However,      schools
                                                despite       bythat
                                                        the fact  age,professional
                                                                       2021.       education is popular
Source: National   Statistics Office of  Georgia,  2021  [55].
      in many countries, the attitude towards it in Georgia is quite negative. The majority of students
        blindly choose higher education without analyzing the situation and the expected results, and
    Weinthink
          manythat
                 cases
                     thewepromotion
                            come to theof  expenses    incurred
                                              professional       on education,
                                                              education     will whether
                                                                                  definitely it islead
                                                                                                   monetary
                                                                                                       us to resources
                                                                                                              the desired results,
       or students’
both from            labor
             the point   of and
                             viewtime,   which
                                    of the        is wasted,
                                             economy      of we   mean the
                                                              Georgia    andcase
                                                                              the when    thesituation
                                                                                    general      expenses inincurred  on
                                                                                                               the country. There
       education
is simply    a needexceed   the benefits
                       for more             received.from the state and, accordingly, more properly conducted
                                     involvement
measures, raising the level of awareness in society and creating all the prerequisites in order to change
the attitude towards vocational schools as positively as possible. All this will eventually become a
       4. Conclusions
contributing factor for improving the level of education or the economic situation [56].
    In As
       general,
           can be we
                   seenbelieve
                          from thethatabovethe   promotion
                                              data              of vocational
                                                     and their analysis,            education,
                                                                          in the modern       labor especially
                                                                                                      market thereinis the
                                                                                                                        a case of
Georgia,    willdemand
       greater    be oneand,  ofaccordingly,
                                   the meansanfor        reducing
                                                     abundance       the unemployment
                                                                  of vacant  positions in the level       andoffor
                                                                                                   direction         the effective
                                                                                                                 service
formation
       and sales, as well as individual services. And the number of graduates is the largest in suchpopular in
             of  the  labor   market.     However,       despite   the  fact  that   professional       education    is
       educationalthe
many countries,      programs,
                          attitudewhich    in theit future
                                      towards              involveisemployment
                                                     in Georgia       quite negative.as high-ranking
                                                                                           The majority   professionals
                                                                                                              of students blindly
chooserather
         higherthan  starting work
                  education     withoutin the  field of trade,
                                            analyzing          sales and services
                                                          the situation    and the (ISCO-08).
                                                                                      expected results, and in many cases
we comeTherefore,      it will notincurred
            to the expenses         be an exaggeration
                                               on education,to saywhether
                                                                    that there
                                                                             it is
                                                                                is amonetary
                                                                                     real imbalance      in the or
                                                                                                    resources   modern
                                                                                                                   students' labor
       national
and time,        labor
             which   is market
                         wasted, in we
                                     terms   of supply
                                          mean           and demand
                                                   the case   when the of human
                                                                           expenses capital.  On the on
                                                                                         incurred      other  hand, thisexceed the
                                                                                                           education
       circumstance
benefits  received. clearly indicates the weak institutional connection between the education policy
        and the labor market, which is an important factor determining the high degree of vertical and
        horizontal mismatch between education and employment.
4. Conclusions
As can be seen from the above data and their analysis, in the modern labor market there is a greater
demand and, accordingly, an abundance of vacant
                                              33 positions in the direction of service and sales, as
    Summarizing the issues discussed above, we can draw the following conclusion. We have
seen that education plays a very important role for each country, it is important both for the
country’s economy and for the state of the country in general. Based on history and examples
of countries, it can be said that differences in the level of education often explain differences in
income, which once again emphasizes its important role, although not always, since there are
many other important factors that also affect the economy of a country.
    The analysis of the influence of higher education on employment and income in Georgia
demonstrates that the investment in higher education yields a discernible return at this point,
but the human capital, which is created in the higher education system, is still not effectively
used in the country. As a result, in addition to increasing state investment in higher education,
it is critical to implement other measures to raise the rate of public return on higher education.
Possible approaches in this direction include:

    • Rationalization of state expenditures on higher education based on empirical data;
    • Increasing the compatibility of higher education system outcomes with market require-
      ments;
    • Increasing overall income from higher education;
    • Increasing access to higher education for vulnerable groups;
    • Providing relevant statistics for distribution of employment and unemployment levels
      according to qualifications;
    • Further encouragement of cooperation between the private sector and vocational schools
      to increase the existing scale of transition to work-based learning. Also, increasing the
      involvement of the private sector in the process of developing vocational education
      training programs to ensure compliance of vocational education programs with labor
      market requirements.


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                                               37