Language acquisition before immigration: Promotion of German courses abroad pays off

Abstract

"The new law on the immigration of skilled workers aims to promote the arrival of qualified workers in Germany with various instruments. We discuss the effect of access to language learning services in the country of origin on the skill composition of immigrants in Germany. Using individual-level survey data on immigrants from different cohorts over the period 2000 - 2014, combined with data on the presence of Goethe Institutes - a German association promoting German language and culture worldwide - in origin countries, the results of our empirical analysis show that the acquisition of the German language is fostered by the availability of language courses abroad. Moreover, we find that language services abroad induce a positive (self-) selection of migrants along several dimensions, such as education, experience, and the probability of holding a job offer at arrival. These characteristics are in turn highly relevant for long-term integration in Germany." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Jaschke, P. & Keita, S. (2019): Spracherwerb vor der Zuwanderung: Förderung von Deutschkursen im Ausland lohnt sich. (IAB-Kurzbericht 21/2019), Nürnberg, 8 p.