The Labour Market Integration of New Immigrants in Europe: Analysis and Policy Evaluation

A number of research studies have examined immigrants' labour market integration in the European Union, from cross-country comparisons of aggregate integration indicators, to more detailed statistical analyses of the factors that determine immigrants' outcomes in a specific country. These studies have typically presented a broad picture of the relative position of immigrant groups within and across countries and have drawn attention, among other things, to the wide disparities in the labour market outcomes of immigrants from different ethnic minorities and countries of origin. The proposed ILO-MPI research collaboration aims to build on this knowledge by conducting a more granular, evidence-based analysis of newly arrived immigrants' pathways to economic integration. The project has three distinctive features. First, it would combine original quantitative research, qualitative analysis, and consultations with policymakers and social partners, bringing together empirical evidence with a careful analysis of the institutions and policies that shape immigrant integration. Second, it would take a sectoral approach, which MPI has used to good effect in a study in the United States, to illustrate the differential opportunities that different parts of the economy provide to advance into good jobs. This approach can be used to set up a more concrete, policy-relevant discussion of the ways in which employment and workforce-development systems enable immigrants to build and use their occupational skills more effectively. Third, the research will include a strong focus on the role of countries' institutional context, asking how well integration policies are aligned with the countries' broader, non-targeted employment and training systems and examining the ways in which these systems accommodate or disadvantage immigrants either inadvertently or by design.

Project symbol

GLO/12/20/EEC

Admin unit

MIGRANT

Start date

01/10/2012

End date

31/12/2014

Total allocation

627966

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

582230

Development Partners

European Commission, DG Employment and Social Affairs

Country/Countries

Global

Outcomes

Labour Migration