Estimating and simulating with a random utility random opportunity model of job choice: presentation and application to Belgium

Summary

We present the Random Utility Random Opportunity (ruro) model of job choice (Aaberge, Dagsvik and Strøm, 1995, and Aaberge, Colombino and Strøm, 1999) and report estimation results from an application of a version of that model on Belgian data (eu–silc 2007). We discuss the effect of education level on the intensity of preference for leisure relative to consumption, on the intensity of job offers, and on the wage offer distribution. Finally, we report simulation results with respect to the impact on labour market participation by letting the male catch up the arrears in educational attainment they currently have with respect to females.