Early labour market trajectories of intermediate and second generation Turkish and Maghreb women in Belgium

Abstract

This study focuses on early labour market trajectories of Turkish and Maghreb origin women who graduated in Belgium (Flanders) between 2005 and 2016. In contrast to available literature that largely focuses on employment positions at one point, we assess whether there are ethnic differentials in entering a sustainable employment spell, operationalised as an employment spell of at least four consecutive quarters, leading to a gross monthly wage of at least 82% of the gross Belgian minimum wage and a work intensity of at least 40% of a full-time position in the fourth quarter of the employment spell. Subsequently, we consider ethnic differentials in the characteristics of the first sustainable employment spell (type of employment, type of contract and gross wage quintile), as well as the length of the sustainable employment spell. Using longitudinal microdata, we examine how and to what extent these differentials can be explained by individual, previous employment, household and parental characteristics. Results indicate that, compared to native women, Turkish and Maghreb origin women are less likely to enter and more likely to exit a first sustainable employment spell. These differentials with natives are largest for the intermediate generation and are reproduced and reinforced over labour market careers. Although ethnic differentials diminish after controlling for individual, previous employment, household and parental characteristics, substantial differences remain.

Migrant-native differentials in the uptake of (in)formal childcare in Belgium: The role of mothers’ employment opportunities and care availability

“…Having established these migrant-native differentials in childcare use, we then investigated whether the differential uptake of childcare arrangements between natives and migrants could be explained by differences in mothers' employment opportunities. Previous research has shown that compared to other European countries, Belgium has one of the largest employment gaps between native women and women of non-European origin (Corluy 2014;Noppe et al 2018;Rubin et al 2008), which extends into the second generation (Maes et al 2019;Noppe et al 2018). Because employment positions and the use of childcare are endogenous, we estimated mothers' employment opportunities rather than considering their observed employment positions.…”

“…On average, second-generation migrants perform better on the labour market than first-generation immigrants. However, second-generation migrants, and particularly Turks and Moroccans, are often less educated than natives, and are already disadvantaged from the start of their professional careers (Baert, Heiland & Korenman 2016), which leads them to have lower employment rates and more unstable labour market positions than natives (Maes et al 2019). Additionally, women with a Turkish or Moroccan background tend to start family formation at younger ages than natives (Corijn & Lodewijckx 2009), which may prevent them from establishing a stable labour market position before they have children.…”

“…Migrants, and especially non-EU migrants, are more likely than natives to be unemployed or in unstable, low-income employment characterised by flexible schedules, non-standard hours, and/or short-term contracts (Noppe et al 2018;Rubin et al 2008). These precarious labour market conditions also extend to second-generation migrants (Maes, Wood & Neels 2019). While it is clear that unemployment lowers the demand for childcare, flexible and shortterm jobs can be difficult to combine with formal childcare, because childcare providers often lack flexibility, have restricted opening hours, and have long waiting lists that make it difficult to access care on short notice.…”

“…In addition, Belgium is among the 'old' migrant receiving countries in Europe, and thus has sizeable migrant communities from different countries of origin with specific historical settlement patterns (Kesteloot 1985;Rubin et al 2008). Compared to other European countries, Belgium has one of the largest employment gaps between native women and women of non-European origin (Corluy 2014;Noppe et al 2018;Rubin et al 2008), which extends into the second generation (Maes et al 2019;Noppe et al 2018). Therefore, Belgium is a particularly relevant setting for investigating the question of whether differences in employment opportunities and access to formal childcare can help to explain migrant-native differentials in childcare uptake.…”

Path-Dependencies in Employment Trajectories Around Motherhood: Comparing Native Versus Second-Generation Migrant Women in Belgium

“…Although the migrant-native employment gap is more pronounced among the first generation, studies have repeatedly shown that second-generation migrant womenand particularly women of non-European origin-have lower employment rates than natives and are overrepresented in part-time employment, temporary contracts and employment sectors with low wages and irregular working hours (FOD WASO and UNIA 2017;Heath et al 2008). These disadvantages compared to natives already emerge at the beginning of their professional career, particularly for Turkish or Moroccan origin women (Baert et al 2016;Maes et al 2019).…”