The integration of foreign workers into the labour market

Abstract

"In this study integration into the labour market is understood as a process leading towards equal labour force structures for indigenous and foreign workers. Similar labour force structures signal successful integration. To make integration status more evident, labour market indicators were selected and compared for the four countries. Unemployment, earnings, and female activity rates are described.The unemployment rate amongst foreign/ethnic groups is considerably higher than for the indigenous workforce in all of the countries observed. The rate is about double in France, the Federal Republic of Germany, and Sweden and three times as high in the Netherlands. This situation has not improved for foreign workers since the beginning of the eighties. The differences in earnings between indigenous and foreign workers at the same level of qualifications do not appear to be all too serious at first sight. However, the problem lies more in the evaluation of the foreign qualifications. There are indications that job ranking in firms does not adequately take into consideration the previous education or training of foreign workers. The rate of participation of foreign women in the workforce is considerably lower than that of indigenous women. This clearly indicates inadequate integration of foreign women into the workforce and their above-average rates of unemployment point in the same direction. On the basis of current data, a general alignment of the labour market situation between indigenous and foreign workers cannot be expected in the near future. The comparisons of the countries also exhibited considerable differences between the various nationalities of the foreign workers." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Werner, H. (1994): The integration of foreign workers into the labour market. France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden. In: IAB Labour Market Research Topics No. 6, p. 1-14.