Migration and Socio-Economic Integration in Europe. An Analysis of Men’s and Women’s Ethnic Penalty

Abstract

This article analyzes the socio-economic integration of migrants in 12 Western European countries, considering the probability of being employed and the socio-economic status. Analyses are based on the European Social Survey (ESS), by means of a set of OLS and probit regression models. The aim is twofold: a) to quantify migrants’ penalty net of education and social origin; b) to estimate to what extent the ethnic penalty changes by education and social background of origin. Results confirm that male and female migrants are penalized in all countries, and the cross-country variation of themagnitude of migrants’ penalty is coherent with the European models of inclusion of foreign workers. Moreover, the EP is higher among the highly educated, especially in Southern Europe, while it does not vary when considering migrants with different socialbackgrounds.