Labour Market Transition Differences between Natives and Immigrants in EU Economies

Abstract

The recent economic crisis has had an adverse effect on the labour markets of European economies and certain population groups have been disproportionally affected by it. Increased migration flows may very well have created further pressures on the labour markets of host countries. The focus of the analysis here is on differences in transitions from unemployment to employment and vice versa between native and immigrant populations in European economies during the 1998-2015 period. The analysis reveals different outcomes to transitions from unemployment to employment, where in certain countries and years, the unemployed natives find proportionally more jobs, while in other countries and years, it is the immigrants. In most of the countries, however, employed immigrants are more likely to lose a job than natives. In addition to identifying the immigrant-native gap, the characteristics of individuals as potential contributing factors to the gap have also been assessed. The results of this analysis show that similar individual characteristics exert a different influence on the immigrant-native gap in labour market outcomes in different countries. Thus, similar individual characteristics are rewarded differently in different countries, i.e., their labour markets.

Skilled immigrant women's career trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

“…Immigrant employees are often placed in lower positions with limited opportunities to move up in the organization's hierarchy (Subeliani and Tsogas, 2005). In times of economic crisis, research shows that immigrants are more likely to be severely affected (Botric, 2018; Maroukis, 2013).…”

The Differential Impact of COVID-19 on Labour Market Outcomes of Immigrants in Canada

“…There are various reasons as to why the pandemic may disproportionately adversely affect immigrants relative to the domestic-born, and why that effect may be larger for recent immigrants compared to established immigrants. This is part of the larger picture that immigrants are harder hit by recessions, and they disproportionately benefit from economic expansions ( Borjas and Cassidy 2020 ; Botrić 2018 ; Liu and Edwards 2015 ; Orrenius and Zavodny 2009 ; Paggiaro 2013 ). Obviously, the pandemic is more severe than a recession, but similar principles apply.…”