Abstract :
This paper attempts to identify the key determinants of earnings of the employees in institutions of general education in Lahore District (Pakistan). A sample of 3358 teaching and non-teaching employees of institutions (universities, colleges, schools) has been gathered in 2009 through a questionnaire technique. The main objective of this research work was to explore the major factors that affect individual’s earnings and to estimate the private financial returns to education by different levels of education. The factors that positively and significantly contributed to earnings of all, university, college and school respondents were respondent’s education, age, experience, occupation, gender, working hours, spouse education, family background and family status. The results of this study reveal that private financial returns to education vary with the level of education. The private financial returns to education for college level respondents have been found to be the highest (9.1%) among all levels of education. The positive contribution of computer literacy in case of University respondents has been found to be highest (15.3%) among all. The occupation (teaching vs non-teaching) earning differentials were found to be highest at University level of education. Teaching staff (irrespective of gender) has been found earning more than non-teaching staff at all levels of education. The gender earning differential gap found to be highest at school level. Those university respondents, who have passed matriculation examination (SSC) from private educational institutes, earn 8.7% more than those who have qualified SSC from government educational institutes. On the basis of findings of this study, it is recommended that such rational development programs and policies should be initiated that minimizes the staff earnings differentials that arise due to occupation (teaching vs non-teaching) and gender (male vs female) basis.
