Migration and labour market in France

We propose in this study a survey of the evolution of migration in France and the impact of migration on the national labour market. In 2009 migrants in France accounted for 5.2 per cent of the total population. A focus on the last five years points out a slight increase of foreigners coming from both other EU Member States and third countries. A different pattern of integration in the labour market can be observed for third- country nationals and EU migrants. In general, migrants of Spanish or Portuguese origin are much better positioned (measured in terms of periods of unemployment or job instability they have suffered) than persons originating from Algeria, Morocco or Turkey. The latter are three times more likely to be unemployed than the natives, partially because of lower skill levels than that of all other migrants (particularly in comparison to European migrants) and poor knowledge of French (for migrants of Turkish origin). Generally, in France migrant women face more difficulties in access to employment than men. Migrant women are more likely to occupy part-time jobs, precarious or low- skilled positions, and their possibilities of promotion and professional mobility remain limited). In the same vein, second generation migrants have more difficulties in finding employment than other young people regardless of their level of education and employment sector, private or public. Migration has a positive impact on activity: a uniform increase in the population boosts the level of productive employment and thus GDP, leaving the native standard of living unchanged.