Czech relative wages and returns to schooling: Does the short supply of college education bite?

Czech returns to education are estimated using 2002 data on hourly wages of salaried employees. The wage return on an additional year of schooling is close to 10 percent, which is relatively high given the level of economic development and education level in the Czech Republic. Particularly large is the post-secondary/secondary-school wage gap, which appears higher than in Germany or Austria, two countries with a similar educational structure. This is likely due to the short supply of tertiary education provided by funds-starved Czech public post-secondary institutions.