Gastarbeiter aus der EU sind in Deutschland erfolgreich
Press Release of October 19, 2004
Immigrants to Germany from EU countries succeed in achieving a social situation comparable with German-born individuals, and in some cases even better. Immigrants from other non-EU countries, however, do not. The percentage of unskilled and low-skilled workers among all immigrant groups is, at 43%, significantly higher than the percentage of these workers among individuals born in Germany (12%). However, immigrants from the EU and naturalized citizens together achieve a middle-income level comparable to that of German-born individuals. These are the central findings of the recently released study entitled “Migration and social structure – social situations of immigrants in Germany in the context of European unification” (in German), which is based on empirical data from the representative longitudinal study SOEP.
For this analysis, Stefanie Kley analyzed SOEP longitudinal data from the years 1991 and 1999, studying specific characteristics at both individual and household levels. The study shows how the image of immigrants as “cheap labor” came into being, and the extent to which immigrants still belong to the lower income strata in Germany. For her master’s thesis, Stefanie Kley received the prize for excellent final theses awarded at the 32nd conference of the German Society for Sociology (DGS). A monograph of this study published by Logos Verlag Berlin is forthcoming.
For this analysis, Stefanie Kley analyzed SOEP longitudinal data from the years 1991 and 1999, studying specific characteristics at both individual and household levels. The study shows how the image of immigrants as “cheap labor” came into being, and the extent to which immigrants still belong to the lower income strata in Germany. For her master’s thesis, Stefanie Kley received the prize for excellent final theses awarded at the 32nd conference of the German Society for Sociology (DGS). A monograph of this study published by Logos Verlag Berlin is forthcoming.
There is one central reason for the better overall position of immigrants from the EU than of German-born individuals: the former group shows a preponderance of low-paid workers (19%), while the latter shows a similarly large percentage of executives and academics (21%). In the case of immigrants from non-EU countries, this percentage is, at 5%, extremely low. Furthermore, an above-average percentage of both women and men from EU countries are employed full-time.
The comparatively bad situation of immigrants from non-EU countries can be seen in the general lack of integration of these individuals on the German labor market. They make up a comparatively small proportion of full-time workers: only 38% in comparison to the overall German average of 41%. The unemployment rate of these workers, at 19%, is more than twice as high as that of Germans (8%) and EU citizens (9%). Furthermore, those who completed an intermediate level of schooling do not receive a comparable income to German-born individuals with the same level of schooling.
The comparatively bad situation of immigrants from non-EU countries can be seen in the general lack of integration of these individuals on the German labor market. They make up a comparatively small proportion of full-time workers: only 38% in comparison to the overall German average of 41%. The unemployment rate of these workers, at 19%, is more than twice as high as that of Germans (8%) and EU citizens (9%). Furthermore, those who completed an intermediate level of schooling do not receive a comparable income to German-born individuals with the same level of schooling.
