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In Europe, Arduous Jobs Fall On First-Generation Migrants. But Later Generations Benefit From Improved Opportunities

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  • Vandenberghe, Vincent

Abstract

This paper contributes to the literature on migrants' labour-market disadvantages by considering one dimension that has received limited attention in Europe: their occupations' (relative) physical arduousness. To quantify their arduousness gap, the paper combines i) data from the European Labour Force Survey (LFS) informing on occupation and immigration status with ii) information on occupational arduousness from the U.S. O*NET database, categorized at the ISCO 3-digit level. The findings reveal that first-generation migrants, particularly women and/or non-EU migrants, are disproportionately concentrated in arduous jobs, experiencing a significant disadvantage in working conditions. However, this disadvantage slowly diminishes over time, with the accumulation of residency in the host country leading to improved occupational outcomes. Notably, second-generation migrants close this gap and even experience a slight advantage in work arduousness compared to native workers, pointing to complete convergence.

Suggested Citation

  • Vandenberghe, Vincent, 2025. "In Europe, Arduous Jobs Fall On First-Generation Migrants. But Later Generations Benefit From Improved Opportunities," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1595, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1595
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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