Military Service and Civilian Earnings of Youth

摘要

The effect of military service on subsequent earnings in the civilian labor market is comparable to the effect of employment with one employer on earnings with a subsequent employer in the civilian labor market. The value of military service on civilian jobs is not as large as the value of experience on prior civilian jobs, though the effect of military service is a very substantial improvement over non-employment. A year of civilian work experience is associated with an increase of about 7% in 1979 earnings, while a year of military experience is associated with about a 3% increase in earnings in the civilian sector.