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Self-employment as a stepping stone to better labor market matching: a comparison between immigrants and natives

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  • Magdalena ULCELUSE

    (University of Groningen)

Abstract

The paper investigates the relation between overeducation and self-employment, in a comparative analysis between immigrants and natives. Using the EU Labour Force Survey for the year 2012 and controlling for a list of demographic characteristics and general characteristics of 30 destination countries, it finds that the likelihood of being overeducated decreases for self-employed immigrants, with inconclusive results for self-employed natives. The results shed light on the extent to which immigrants adjust to labor market imperfections and barriers to employment and might help explain the higher incidence of self-employment that immigrants exhibit, when compared to natives. This is the first study to systematically study the nexus between overeducation and self-employment in a comparative framework. Moreover, the paper tests the robustness of the results by employing two different measures of overeducation, contributing to the literature of the measurement of overeducation.

Suggested Citation

  • Magdalena ULCELUSE, 2020. "Self-employment as a stepping stone to better labor market matching: a comparison between immigrants and natives," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 86(4), pages 479-501, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:ctl:louvde:v:86:y:2020:i:4:p:479-501
    DOI: 10.1017/dem.2020.1
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    1. Magdalena Ulceluse & Martin Kahanec, 2023. "Eastward enlargements of the European Union, transitional arrangements and self-employment," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 719-742, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Immigrants; Overeducation; Self-Employment; Skills mismatch;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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