Abstract
This article examines the differences in commuting length between native and immigrant employees in Spain, a relevant issue since immigrants' longer commuting times may, among other factors, reflect an imperfect spatial matching of their labour supply and demand with negative implications for their relative labour outcomes and their individual well-being. The research differentiates immigrants according to their origin and is based on a rich, nationally representative database. A novel contribution of the research is the use of decomposition econometric techniques that allow quantifying the joint and individual influence of a wide range of explanatory factors. The evidence obtained shows that, although a relevant part of the explanation of the greater commuting observed for immigrants is related to observed elements such as a different use of modes of transport, they make overall significantly longer journeys when comparing with observationally similar natives. This commuting penalty occurs yet only in the case of immigrants from emerging countries as it does not exist for those from advanced economies. Although the penalty is overall rather similar along several sociodemographic and occupational lines, it is much more pronounced for individuals living in large municipalities, which implies that previous analyses focusing on specific densely populated territories could not be nationally representative. To conclude, we offer additional novel evidence about the potential explanations of the commuting penalty of immigrants showing that it does not seem to derive from a hypothetically greater tolerance to commuting.
Highlights
Commuting to work is a research topic that has attracted a growing interest from different areas of knowledge in recent years
The average commuting of immigrant employees in Spain is substantially greater than that of natives being the gap more pronounced for immigrants from emerging countries than for those from advanced countries (24.5)
They are segregated into low-skilled occupations, small firms and certain industries such as the primary sector and construction. These overall differences in relative observed characteristics tend to be lower for immigrants from advanced economies, whose characteristics are in many cases more similar to native workers and they even exhibit better relative endowments than natives in some elements
Summary
Commuting to work is a research topic that has attracted a growing interest from different areas of knowledge in recent years. The monetary and time costs derived from commuting have been associated with multiple negative effects in the work, health and personal life spheres (Jansen et al 2003; Stutzer and Frey 2008; Novaco and Gonzalez 2009; Wener et al 2003; Gottholmseder et al 2009), and is a relevant phenomenon when analysing individual well-being. In this vein, the relative commuting of immigrants is an important issue for this group and their host countries, given both the crucial relevance of their labour integration for their assimilation and the significant increase in international migratory flows in last years (OECD 2018a, b). There is a growing body literature on immigrant commuting, this is overall an understudied line of research
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
