Stuck in a time warp? The Great Recession and the socio-occupational integration of migrants in Spain

Jiménez-García, Juan Ramón; Levatino, Antonina

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00914-1

Stuck in a time warp? The Great Recession and the socio-occupational integration of migrants in Spain

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Jiménez-García JR, Levatino A. Stuck in a time warp? The Great Recession and the socio-occupational integration of migrants in Spain. Journal of International Migration and Integration. 2023 Mar;24(1):1-47. DOI: 10.1007/s12134-021-00914-1

Abstract

This article examines the socio-occupational integration of the immigrant population in Spain for a time span that, for the first time, includes the post-crisis period. Using the Spanish Labour Force Survey and conducting a socio-occupational analysis, we predict the probability that a migrant would be employed in one socio-occupational class over another in three periods: before, during and after the crisis. Our main research questions are as follows: (1) To what extent do migrants tend to be located in certain socio-occupational classes? (2) To what extent does the likelihood of belonging to a certain socio-occupational class differ according to immigrants’ places of origin? (3) Can differences be found in the likelihood of belonging to a certain socio-occupational class according to the places of origin before, during and after the Great Recession? The results show a very unequal distribution of immigrants in the socio-occupational structure according to their origin. While immigrants from Schengen Europe and North America are better located in the occupational structure, those from Eastern Europe and Africa are over-represented in the lower socio-occupational classes.