Employment Trajectories of Recent Immigrants in Switzerland

Abstract

This chapter analyses immigrants’ labour market trajectory throughout their settlement in Switzerland considering their employment situation in the country of origin and the characteristics of the family migration process. The investigation is particularly interested in analysing whether the observed inequalities by origin in the labour market integration result from differences in terms of human capital among immigrants. However, labour disadvantages existing and persisting over time for some immigrant groups, regardless of their human capital characteristics and their level of assimilation in Switzerland, would confirm segmentation and discrimination postulates. Analysis revealed lower employment probabilities for some groups of immigrants immediately after moving to Switzerland once human capital differentials are controlled for. However, results are also consistent with the assimilation hypothesis because the analysis points to an overall improvement in immigrants’ probability of being employed during the process of settlement in Switzerland. Nevertheless, significant differences have emerged by gender. In comparison with men, women are more likely to be unemployed, to be inactive or to work part-time. Finally, results corroborate that post-migration employment is lower for tied migrants and family-motivated migrants. Moreover, family-motivated migration has only temporary effects on labour insertion of male migrants, whereas it harms employment prospects for women more permanently.