Qualification-specific determinants of migration to Germany

Abstract

"The IAB employment sample (IABS) provides new perspectives not only for empirical labour market research but also for migration research. Because the I ABS permits an account of labour migration to Germany according to socio-economic characteristics, it can be used to carry out studies for partial migrant groups which were previously only possible for all migrants together.In this article the IABS is used by means of an example as a source of qualification-specific figures for migration to Germany. These figures are then used as a basis for a study of the qualification- dependent determinants of migration to Germany - a study which had previously not been possible. The study makes it clear that the determinants of higher and lower qualified migration to Germany differ considerably. Firstly the income and employment possibilities in the country of origin and the country of destination have a considerably greater influence on the migration of the lower qualified than they do on the migration of the higher qualified. Secondly the size of the stock of foreign direct investments constitutes an important influential factor for the migration of the higher qualified, but not for the migration of the lower qualified. Both of these differences can be explained by the fact that multinational companies are one of the most important channels of migration for higher qualified workers, but not for the migration of the lower qualified." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Wolter, A. (1997): Qualifikationsspezifische Determinanten der Migration nach Deutschland. In: Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Vol. 30, No. 3, p. 657-662.