The Mincer earnings function is a single-equation model that explains wage income as a function of schooling and experience.
[1][2] Thomas Lemieux argues it is "one of the most widely used models in empirical economics".
Typically the logarithm of earnings is modelled as the sum of years of education and a quadratic function of "years of potential experience".
is years of potential labour market experience.
can be interpreted as the returns to schooling and experience, respectively.
Sherwin Rosen, in his article celebrating Mincer's contribution, memorably noted that when data was interrogated using this equation one might describe them as having been Mincered.