Abstract

The labor market integration of migrants is one of the main aims of the German labor market policy. Unemployment rates of migrants are much higher than those of natives. Furthermore, female compared to male migrants have a higher probability to be unemployed although they have on average a higher educational level when they come to Germany as well as higher investments in language skills.
Currently for Germany there is only little knowledge about the determinants of unemployment and benefit receipt of migrants and especially of female migrants. This also applies to the factors which reduce the risk of unemployment or of receiving SGB II. Also the reasons for the large gender differences have not been examined sufficiently.
Limitations can mainly be explained by the lack of comprehensive micro data. However, in 2013 the IAB-SOEP-Migration sample was implemented to analyze the labor market integration of migrants, concentrating on those coming to Germany since 1995. Due to the linkage with administrative Data from the Institute for Employment Research (IAB) and the integration into the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), also comparable analysis between persons with and without a migration background are possible.
Based on the IAB-SOEP Migration sample, the project aims to examine the migration specific determinants of unemployment. The main focus will lay on gender aspects and on risk factors for tied movers who moved for the employment aims of their partners.