Migration und Lohnungleichheit: Eine detaillierte Analyse für Deutsche Metropol- und Nicht-Metropolregionen

Abstract

This study presents new evidence on immigrant-native wage gaps considering regional-specific differences between 2000 and 2019 in Germany. Using linked employer-employee-data, unconditional quantile regression models are estimated in order to assess the degree of labor market integration of foreign workers. The applied extended version of the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method provides evidence on driving factors behind wage gaps along the entire wage distribution. Estimated results are presented not only for the whole of West Germany but also differentiated between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. On average, larger wage differentials are identified in metropolitan areas with at the same time a higher presence of foreign population. Detailed decompositions show that there are not only changes in the relative importance of explanatory factors over time, but also possible sources of wage differentials shift between different points of the wage distribution. Decisive explanatory variables in this context are the practised profession and the economic sector affiliation. Distinguishing between metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas, provides evidence that especially differences in educational attainment impact wage gaps in urban areas. Regarding the size of overall estimated wage gaps, after 2012 a reversal in trend and particular increasing tendencies around median wages are revealed.

Being a long distance out-commuter or home employee in a rather peripheral region evidence of a German federal state

“…However, when out-commuters work in distinct regional labor markets, differences in wages may be driven by differences in productivity, caused by differences in firm, industrial and occupational structure. This is confirmed by several studies explicitly showing that individual wages are affected by firm characteristics (Brixy et al 2022;Schmid 2023;Dostie et al 2020;Brunow and Jost 2022).…”