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Do Domestic Educations Even Out the Playing Field? Ethnic Labor Market Gaps in Sweden

Author

Listed:
  • Nekby, Lena

    (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm University)

  • Vilhelmsson, Roger

    (Swedish Agency for Government Employers)

  • Özcan, Gülay

    (Dept. of Economics, Stockholm University)

Abstract

The importance of investing in host country-specific human capital such as domestic language proficiency and domestic education is often cited as a determining factor for the labor market success of immigrants. This suggests that entirely domestic educations should even out the playing field providing equal labor market opportunities for natives and immigrants with similar (domestic) educations. This study follows a cohort of students from Swedish compulsory school graduation in 1988 until 2002 in order to document ethnic differences in education, including grades and field of education, and subsequent labor market outcomes. Results indicate both initial differences in youth labor market status and long term differences in employment rates, most notably for those with Non-European backgrounds. Differences in level or field of domestic education cannot explain persistent employment gaps. However, employment gaps are driven by differences among those with secondary school only. No employment or income gaps are found for the university educated.

Suggested Citation

  • Nekby, Lena & Vilhelmsson, Roger & Özcan, Gülay, 2007. "Do Domestic Educations Even Out the Playing Field? Ethnic Labor Market Gaps in Sweden," Research Papers in Economics 2007:6, Stockholm University, Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sunrpe:2007_0006
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    Cited by:

    1. Szulkin, Ryszard & Hällsten, Martin, 2009. "Families, neighborhoods, and the future: The transition to adulthood of children of native and immigrant origin in Sweden," SULCIS Working Papers 2009:9, Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Ethnic minorities; Education; Employment; Discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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