Eva Depenbrock - Selective out-migration and the labor market integration of immigrants: what can dynamic microsimulations contribute to explain origin-specific differences?

• Presenting author: Eva Depenbrock (University of Duisburg-Essen)

• Authors: Eva Depenbrock, Marcel Erlinghagen, Petra Stein

• Session: C03D - Migration - Wednesday 14:00-15:30 - Erika-Weinzierl Hall

Using a dynamic microsimulation model, we study the development of labor force participation and occupational prestige among migrants from Turkey, Greece, and Italy who came to West Germany in the 1960s to 1980s. The study of the labor market integration of the so-called “guest workers” has considered the influence of various factors, such as regional ethnic concentration, language skills, educational attainment and fertility. However, most of these studies rely on data from individuals who stayed in the country, thus omitting potentially selective remigration. We complement these studies by analyzing labor market performance outcomes under the fictitious assumption that “all migrants stayed”. Comparing occupational prestige at the aggregate level, we find differences between the simulated data, where survey units left the panel only due to demographic changes, and the actual data, where panel attrition and potential remigration resulted in fewer survey units. Our results suggest that selective remigration may be a complementary explanation for differences in labor market performance by country of origin.