The occupational attainment and job security of immigrant children in Spain

Abstract

ABSTRACT Little is known about the labour market integration of immigrants who arrived in Spain at an early age. Using longitudinal data from the Spanish LFS (2008–2016) we find that other things being equal the occupational attainment of Latin American, Eastern European and African 1.5-generation immigrants is similar to that of natives both for men and women. First-generation immigrants, however, suffer a persistent disadvantage even after controlling for sociodemographic factors and, importantly, time in the labour market. We also find that social class position does not protect equally against job loss, with a larger immigrant penalty at the bottom of the occupational structure. We find two different explanations for this depending on migration status. For the 1.5 generation, the higher risk of job loss across occupational groups is explained by compositional differences; while for the first generation, particularly men, it is explained by structural factors such as its persistent concentration over time in more vulnerable economic sectors and fixed-term contracts. Our findings confirm, in line with assimilation theory, that the 1.5 generation achieves better outcomes than the first in the Spanish labour market, likely due to their more favourable entry conditions into employment.