Immigrants’ participation in non-formal job-related training

Abstract

Participation in job-related training among immigrants is becoming more important in Europe in view of large immigration inflows. This paper considers differences in training participation rates by immigrant background including by whether they are from Western or non-Western origins. Also considered is whether differences by immigrant background depend on whether the training was supported by employers. The analyses are based on individual-level data from the PIAAC database. Four countries are included in the analysis: Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Norway, countries that feature a highly educated labour force and social policies designed to support and incentivise skill development over the life span including disadvantaged groups. The analyses reveal that the differences in participation rate according to immigrant backgrounds are relatively small, in all countries except Finland. Still, the immigrants receive less employer-sponsored training than non-immigrants. The results indicate a high demand for training among immigrants.