Foreign background still matters

Abstract

"The article contributes new empirical results about the transition from vocational training to work in Germany. It compares labour market outcomes of native and migrant youth in Germany who have completed vocational training within a firm. Considerable differences in the labour market performance of those young adults with and without vocational training have long been observed. Thus, we ask whether a successfully completed apprenticeship could dispel or at least weaken the disadvantages of young migrants vis-a-vis natives. Do young migrants and native Germans who have been trained reach the same labour market positions in respect to the quality level of their jobs as well as to the occupational match between job and training? With occupational registry data from the Employment Study of the Federal Institute for Employment Research ('IAB') in Nuremberg we can show that young migrants holding a vocational degree do indeed reach similar labour market positions as natives do - except for Turkish men. They are less able to find appropriate jobs or enter the labour market in the occupation trained for in comparison with Germans. These findings refer to ethnically differentiated recruitment patterns of the firms who hire graduates of apprenticeship programs." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Seibert, H. (2005): Foreign background still matters. Ethnic differences in the transition process from training to work in Germany. Refereed paper presented to the Transition and Risk: New Directions in Social Policy Conference, Centre for Public Policy, University of Melbourne 23 - 25 February, 2005. 19 p.