Occupational classes of immigrants and their descendants in east Germany

Abstract

The distinct pattern of East German labour migration is closer to the pattern of other former communist countries than to that of West Germany. Immigrants in East Germany were particularly affected by the collapse of the GDR. While the labour market improved in 2005, little is known about the development of the structural integration of immigrants and their descendants living in East Germany. Cross-sectional survey data by the Federal Statistical Office (Mikrozensus 1991-2011) reveal that even after controlling for formal and vocational education, immigrants from the first and second generation are consistently more likely to be employed in lower status occupations than are non-migrants. Although the proportion of Vietnamese in intermediate positions is similar to that of non-migrants, higher occupations remain closed to the Vietnamese. On the other hand, differences in the proportions of non-migrants and of immigrants from Poland in higher status occupations have diminished over time. The study concludes that the structural integration of immigrants in East Germany, and especially of their descendants, remains problematic.