<![CDATA[This study investigates employment outcomes among recent graduates in Indonesia and examines the persistence of the vocational paradox, whereby vocational education does not translate into superior labor market absorption. Using nationally representative microdata from the 2023 National Labor Force Survey and a binary logistic regression framework, the analysis estimates the associations between education pathway, gender, marital status, job training participation, and the probability of employment. The results indicate that vocational graduates have a significantly lower likelihood of employment compared to non-vocational graduates, while participation in job training is positively associated with employment outcomes. Interaction effects suggest that training partially moderates sociodemographic disparities in labor market entry but does not eliminate the employment disadvantage associated with vocational education. Interpreted within an institutional framework of skill formation, these findings are consistent with structural constraints affecting the translation of vocational credentials into employment outcomes, including limited coordination between education providers and firms and restricted adaptability of training pathways. By linking employment outcomes to institutional characteristics of skill formation systems, this study contributes to institutional and innovation-oriented perspectives on workforce development in developing economies. The findings underscore the importance of strengthening coordination mechanisms and integrating adaptive training within formal vocational education pathways]]>
