Migrants, labour labour and and poverty poverty in the EU · Migrants, labour labour and and poverty poverty in the EU UNIVERSITY OF OVIEDO Department of Sociology Hans van den Broek

MigrantsMigrants, , labourlabour andand povertypoverty in the EUin the EU

UNIVERSITY OF OVIEDOUNIVERSITY OF OVIEDODepartment

of

Sociology

Hans van den BroekHans van den Broek20 October

2010

•

Virtually

all

studies

demonstrate:

–

More difficult

for

migrants

to

find

a job•

High

incidence

of

informal activities

–

If

employed, they

tend

to

have

lower

earnings

than natives

–

Worse

housing

conditions

than

natives•

Higher

incidence

of

extended households

WorkingWorking, , poorpoor andand immigrantimmigrant??

•

To

what

extent

and

in what

ways

are working

(and housing) conditions

of

migrant

workers

more

disadvantageous

than

those

of

natives?

•

What

specific

barriers

and

other

challenges

do migrants

encounter

with

respect

to

labour

market

integration?

•

How do they

cope

?

•

Different

(cat. of) migrants different policies ?

WorkingWorking, , poorpoor andand immigrantimmigrant??

•

Main

literature

on

South

–

North

migration

•

But

(de Haan

& Yaqub, 2009) –

“The poorest

[migrant

families] tend

to

migrate

less

to

high-income

countries”–

They

migrate

within

national

borders

or

within

the

region

(i.e. SouthSouth

––

SouthSouth

migrationmigration)–

Most

do not

appear

in statistics

•

(Paradoxically, development

and

lifting

people

out of

poverty, has in some

cases led

to

an

increase

in out-migration)

StudiesStudies onon MigrationMigration andand PovertyPoverty

•

What

interests

us

here

: Migration, Poverty

and In-Work

Poverty

in Europe

•

Factors

that

go

against

social inclusion, equal opportunities

?

•

High

% of

immigrant

workers

: in labour-intensive, low-income

jobs, with

temporary

contracts

–

Unstable

employment

situations

that

are the result of

flexible employment

practices

used

by employers


•

Factors

that

go

against

social inclusion, equal opportunities

?

–

Pay

gap

(20 -

40 %)–

Job // qualification

gap

–

‘Glass

ceiling’

effect–

Exploitation

(esp. of

seasonal

workers)

–

Ethnicization

of

the labour

market


On

the whole: •

Few

studies

on

Migrants

and

InIn--WorkWork

PovertyPoverty

in Europe. –

Eurofound

studies

•

More in USA •

…

and

especially

Canada


Fleury, Dominique (2007): “A Study of Poverty and Working Poverty among Recent Immigrants to Canada”. Human Resources and Social Development Canada.

CanadianCanadian literatureliterature onon WPM WPM (1)(1)

•

CanadianCanadian literatureliterature onon WPM WPM (2)(2)

Disposable

income

of

recentrecent immigrants

was

significantly lower

than

that

of

natives

and

earlier

immigrants

–

Family

income

of

recent

immigrants: 76 % of

native-born Canadians

RecentRecent vs. vs. earlierearlier migrantsmigrants

Living in poverty

Working poor

Recent immigrants 21.5 % 7.7 %Earlier immigrants 11.2 %

2.7 %Native Canadians 9.3 %

(Fleury, 2007)

Factors

that

“predict”

the risk

of

in-work

poverty

: –

(lower) level

of

education

–

(fewer) years

of

labour

experience–

work

limitations

(physical

or

mental conditions)

•

Thus:

Human Capital >

=> risk

of

(in-work) poverty

<

For

natives

and

earlier

immigrants

,

BUT NOT FOR RECENT IMMIGRANTS

InIn--workwork povertypoverty amongamong migrantsmigrants

Charcteristics

of

recent

immigrants

in (in-work) poverty

:

–

Mainly

30 –

44 years

old–

No work

limitations

(disabilities)

–

Many

with

university desgree

(1:3)–

Member

of

a ‘visible minority’

group

•

“There

is

evidence

that

the poorest, least

skilled, least physically

capable

and

those

without

networks

tend

to

migrate

less”

(de Haan

& Yaqub, 2009: 6)


Only ‘unfavourable’ characteristic

Factors

that

contribute

to

in-work

poverty

among

immigrants

(in Canada) :

–

Being

head

of

a lone-parent

family

(single mothers)

–

Not

working

sufficient

nº

of

hours

/ wk, mth, yr

–

Being

of

Asian

or

Arab

origin


•

(Fleury, 2007) In the past, migrants

caught

up with rest

after

10-15 years

•

But

what

about

today?

•

Recent

migrants: higher

educational

levels•

But

: Higher

percentage

of

low-incomes

•

Newly

arrived: greater

difficulties

to

catch

up with natives

Hence: problems

seem

to

have

become

worse

for migrants

Are Are thingsthings improvingimproving forfor immigrantsimmigrants ??

•

Also

Shipler

(2005) : –

Especially

for

low-skilled

migrants, today

there

are

more barriers

to

upward

mobility

than

30 years

ago–

Even

for

next

generation(s), upward

mobility

is

not

certain

•

OECD Report

(2010) –

Children

of

immigrants

have

lower

employment

outcomes

than

children

of

natives

BetterBetter perspectivesperspectives forfor nextnext generationgeneration ??

•

But

: –

Educational

performance

and

labour

market

position

of

immigrant

children

≥

EP & LMP of

native

children in : USA, Canada, Australia, New

Zealand

–

In most

European countries, their

situation

is

worse

!

–

Labour

market

perspectives

are worst

for

: immigrantimmigrant

femalefemale

youthyouth

in European OECD countries

WhatWhat aboutabout migrantsmigrants’’ childrenchildren??

•

Barriers

?

–

Discrimination

(of

immigrant

job

seekers)

–

Less

access

to

networks

with

people

linked

to

LM (thus, to

informal recruitment

channels)

–

Lack

of

knowledge

about

recruitment

and

selection norms

WhatWhat aboutabout migrantsmigrants’’ childrenchildren??

US studies:

•

High

population

density

in down-town

areas•

Housing

deterioration

•

20% lived

in housing

that

was

too small

for

the size

of

the family

•

Hence, high

population

turnover

HousingHousing conditionsconditions

Danish

study

(Ejrnaes

et al., 2001) :•

In Denmark, also

in USA, immigrants

have

higher

self-employment

rates

than

natives

…•

… and rising

(among

natives: falling)

SelfSelf--employmentemployment andand WorkingWorking poorpoor

wage-employment

non-employment self-employment

Danish

study

(Ejrnaes

et al., 2001)

:•

In Denmark, also

in USA, immigrants

have

higher

self-employment

rates

than

natives

…•

… and rising

(among

natives: falling)


wage-employment

non-employment self-employment

N (M)M

•

Due

to:–

Discrimination

in regular labour

market

–

Official

qualifications

(diplomas etc.) not

recognized–

Non-acceptance

of

cultural symbols

in wage

employment

•

For

a group

of

migrants

: ‘employment

of

last

resort’–

(Not

so for

natives)

•

If

stuck

in self-employed

(no possibility

to

return

to wage-employment), self-employment

may become

poverty

trap


Co-residence

with

certain

degree

ofeconomic

cooperation

•

Extended households

/ compound

households*–

Constant

readjustments High instability of

household structure

•

Income

pooling–

But

limited

to

sharing

rent

and

other

living expenses

cont.

How do WPM How do WPM copecope??

Poorest

segment, made up of

single single mothersmothers•

Living in extended households

is

absolute

necessity: –

to

share

expenses

–

to

share

child-care

responsibilities

How do How do theythey copecope??

•

Informal economic

activities–

i.e. combining

wage

employment

with

jobs

‘under

the

table’–

Or

as alternative

for

regular jobs

(if

hard

to

find,

pay

less

or

are highly

discontinuous)

•

Dense social networks–

Important

to

have

access

to

information

on

:

employment

opportunities, housing, charity, legal help, education, etc.


•

Assistance

from

charities, Gov’t

institutions

–

(in Canada) Among

recent

immigrants

who

did

NOT

live

in poverty, 60% were

only

able

to

avoid

poverty through

family

and

Government

support

•

Men: 45 % ; women: 75 %


•

Often

: multiple

roles played

by womenwomen

enable families

to

cope

–

Regular job, informal activities, household

chores,

child-care, maintaining

social network and

contact with

public

institutions


•

George

Borjas

(Harvard

Univ. Labour

Economist) :•

…

relation

between

illigal

immigration

and

‘native’

Working

Poor

–

Influx

of

(low-skilled, low-paid) immigrants pullsdown wages

–

Greatest

impact

on

entry-level, low-skilled

workers

MigrationMigration andand ((nativenative) ) WorkingWorking PoorPoor

•

Jennifer Gordon

(2007) –

Most

“undocumented

immigrants

accept

whatever

wage

is

offered”–

(…

and

also

many

documented

migrants)

–

Even

more so in times of

crisis

•

Solution

: enforce

workers’

rights

Transnational Labor Citizenship


•

Jennifer Gordon

(2007) Transnational Labor Citizenship

– “Imagine if the United States began admitting migrants on the condition that they join a network of workers’ organizations here and in their home countries — a sort of transnational union. Migrants could work here legally. They could take jobs anywhere in the country and stay as long as they liked. But they would have to promise to report employers that violated labor laws. They could lose their visas by breaking that promise.”


•

How can Gov’t

policies help

to

avoid

the generation of

areas

of

concentrated

poverty?

–

Combat

exploitation

of

undocumented

immigrants

*

–

Policies to

assist

low-income

immigrant

communities

–

Youth

: •

early

education

•

information

on

labour

market

functioning

(school

!)•

mentorship

programmes

GovernmentGovernment policies policies ((StateState & local) & local)

•

High

populationpopulation

turnoverturnover

in extended immigrant households thwarts implementation of

programmes that need stable population

•

Economic

stratification

within

extended household(differentdifferent

living living standardsstandards

among

members)

normally ignored by public policies

•

Situation

of

single single immigrantimmigrant

mothersmothers, often masked

in aggregate

census

statistics

Hence, invisible to public policy officials

ImpedimentsImpediments forfor GovGov’’tt policiespolicies

•

More research

on

Migrants

and

In-work

Poverty needed

•

Treat

migrants

NOT as a homogeneous

category–

In-family

differentiation

: genderadults

vs. childrenchildren

nationalities–

Fleury

(2007) demonstrates

the usefulness

of

differentiating

between

recent

and

earlier

migrants–

(probability

of

recent

immigrants

to

belong

to

the

working

poor

is

twice

as big)

ConclusionsConclusions / / RecommendationsRecommendations

ThankThank youyou !!

• De Haan, Arjan & Shahin Yaqub (2009): “Migration and Poverty. Linkages, Knowledge Gaps and Policy Implications”. Social Policy and Development, Programme Paper Number 40, UNRISD.

• Ejrnaes, Mette, Kraen Blume Jensen, Helena Skyt Nielsen & Allan Würtz (2001): ”Self-Employed Immigrants in Denmark – The Working Poor?”

• Eurofound (2010): Working Poor in Europe.• Fleury, Dominique (2007): “A Study of Poverty and Working

Poverty among Recent Immigrants to Canada”. Human Resources and Social Development Canada.

• Gordon, Jennifer (2007): “Transnational Labor Citizenship”, Southern California Law Review, Vol. 80.

ReferencesReferences

• Liebig, Thomas & Lena Schröder (2010): “Main findings”, in OECD: Equal Opportunities? The Labour Market Integration of the children of immigrants.

• López Peláez, Antonio (2005): “Excluidos pero trabajadores: el círculo vicioso de los ‘trabajadores con bajo salario’ en España”. Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales, vol. 23, nº. 1.

• OECD (2010): Equal Opportunities? The Labour Market Integration of the Children of Immigrants.

• Shipler, David K. (2005): The Working Poor: Invisible in America.

• Zlolniski, Christian and Juan-Vicente Palerm (1996): "Working but Poor: Mexican Immigrant Workers in a Low- Income Enclave in San Jose" (November 1, 1996). Center for Latino Policy Research. CLPR Working Papers: Paper ZlolniskiPalerm1996.

ReferencesReferences

Documents

Migrants, labour labour and and poverty poverty in the EU · Migrants, labour labour and and poverty poverty in the EU UNIVERSITY OF OVIEDO Department of Sociology Hans van den Broek