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Immigration history, entry jobs, and the labor market integration of immigrants

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  • Ansala, Laura

    (Aalto University School of Business and Pellervo Economic Research)

  • Åslund, Olof

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

  • Sarvim¨aki, Matti

    (Aalto University School of Business and VATT Institute for Economic Research)

Abstract

We examine how immigrants enter the labor market and whether their integration process varies by host country's immigration history. We focus on two countries - Finland and Sweden - that have similar formal institutions, but differ vastly in their past immigration experience. Nevertheless, in both countries, immigrants tend to find their first jobs in low-paying establishments where the manager and colleagues often share their ethnic background. Time to entry and entry job characteristics vary widely by region of origin. Furthermore, entry job characteristics predict earnings dynamics and job stability. The patterns and associations are remarkably similar in Finland and Sweden. These findings suggest strong regularities in labor market integration and ethnic segregation that are independent of immigration history and ethnic diversity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ansala, Laura & Åslund, Olof & Sarvim¨aki, Matti, 2018. "Immigration history, entry jobs, and the labor market integration of immigrants," Working Paper Series 2018:20, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2018_020
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    Cited by:

    1. Dagnelie, Olivier & Mayda, Anna Maria & Maystadt, Jean-François, 2019. "The labor market integration of refugees in the United States: Do entrepreneurs in the network help?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 257-272.
    2. Anastasia Sinitsyna & Karin Torpan & Raul Eamets & Tiit Tammaru, 2021. "Overlap Between Industrial Niching and Workplace Segregation: Role of Immigration Policy, Culture and Country of Origin," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(2), pages 179-191.
    3. Jacob Nielsen Arendt, 2022. "Labor market effects of a work-first policy for refugees," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 35(1), pages 169-196, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Immigration; entry jobs; labor market integration; ethnic segregation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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