Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer

Papers

Vol. 8 No. 28 (2015): January-June, 2015

Leaving Home for a Better Life? Occupational Mobility of Skilled Immigrants: Some Empirical Comments from Spain in Light of the Current Economic Crisis

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17428/rmi.v8i1.591
Published
2016-11-18

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to study the occupational mobility experienced following migration by migrants who are university graduates or postgraduates who completed their studies before their arrival in Spain. To do so, we compared the first job they obtained in Spain with the last one held before leaving their country of origin. We identify three different types of mobility: downward mobility, lateral mobility, and upward mobility. Finally, we used logistic regression models to identify the strongest predictors of the three types of mobility previously classified. The empirical analysis was carried out using data from the Spanish National Immigrant Survey (ENI) of 2007, including information about some 15 000 individuals. Our attention will be focused on the 2 425 skilled migrants from this survey.

Cover image

Keywords

  • brain waste
  • occupational mobility
  • labor market
  • migration
  • Spain

How to Cite

ALBANO, A., & SÁNCHEZ-BARRICARTE, J. J. (2016). Leaving Home for a Better Life? Occupational Mobility of Skilled Immigrants: Some Empirical Comments from Spain in Light of the Current Economic Crisis. Migraciones Internacionales, 8(28), 159–187. https://doi.org/10.17428/rmi.v8i1.591

References

  1. ALBANO, Alessandro, 2011, "Mobilità occupazionale degli immigrati altamente qualificati in Spagna", Rivista Italiana di Economia Demografia e Statistica, Vol. LXV, No. 3/4, July-December, pp. 7-14.
  2. AMBROSINI, Maurizio, 2005, Sociologia delle migrazioni, Bologna, il Mulino.
  3. AMBROSINI, Maurizio, 2009, Intraprendere fra due mondi, Bologna, il Mulino.
  4. BARBERIS, Eduardo, 2007, "Le politiche migratorie a Modena e Vicenza," Mondi Migranti, No. 3, pp. 61-82.
  5. BATALOVA, Jeanne; Michael FIX, and Peter CRETICOS, 2008, Uneven Progress: The Employment Pathways of Skilled Immigrants in the United States, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute.
  6. BERNARDI, Fabrizio; Luis GARRIDO MEDINA, and María MIYAR BUSTO, 2011, "The recent fast upsurge of immigrants in Spain and their employment patterns and occupational attainment", International Migration, Vol. 49, No. 1, February, pp. 148-187.
  7. BOERI, Tito; Herbert BRÜCKER, Frédéric DOCQUIER, and Hillel RAPAPORT, 2012, Brain Drain and Brain Gain: The Global Competition to Attract High-Skilled Migrants, Oxford, U.K., Oxford University Press.
  8. BORJAS, George, 1985, "Assimilation, Changes in Cohort Quality and the Earnings of Immigrants", Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp. 463-489.
  9. BRANDI, Carolina; Girolama CARUSO, and Loredana CERBARA, 2010, "L'inserimento nel mercato del lavoro degli immigrati altamente qualificati provenienti dai paesi dell'Europa dell'Est. I risultati di un'indagine qualitativa", Studi Emigrazione, No. 179, pp. 557-579.
  10. CHISWICK, Barry, 1978, "The Effect of Americanization on the Earnings of Foreign-born Men", The Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 86, No. 5, pp. 897-921.
  11. CHISWICK, Barry [discussion paper], 2005, "Highly skilled migrations in the international arena", Germany, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA Discussion Papers, 1782), available at <http://ssrn.com/abstract=826389> .
  12. CHISWICK, Barry and Sarinda TAENGNOI [discussion paper], 2007, "Occupational Choice of High Skilled Immigrants in the United States", Germany, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA Discussion Papers 2969).
  13. CHISWICK, Barry; LEE, Yew, and MILLER, Paul, 2003, "Patterns of Immigrant Occupational Attainment in a Longitudinal Survey", International Migration, Vol. 41, No.4, pp. 47-69.
  14. DOMINGO VALLS, Andrés and René HOULE, [discussion paper], 2005, "Situación laboral de la población de nacionalidad extranjera censada en España", Catalonia, Centre d'Estudis Demogràfics (Papers de Demografía No. 266).
  15. ESPINOSA, Kristin and Douglass MASSEY, 1999, "Undocumented Migration and the Quantity and Quality of Social Capital", in Ludger Pries, ed., Migration and Transnational Social Space. Research in Ethnic Relations, Ashgate Publishing/ Hants, pp. 106-137.
  16. FERNÁNDEZ-KELLY, María, 1995, "Social and Cultural Capital in the Urban Ghetto: Implications for the Economic Sociology of Immigration", in Alejandro Portes, ed., The Economic Sociology of Immigration, New York, Russel Sage Foundation, pp. 213-247.
  17. FRIEDBERG, Rachel, 2000, "You Can't Take It with You? Immigrant Assimilation and the Portability of Human Capital", Journal of Labor Economics, Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 221-251.
  18. GANOVETTER, Mark, 1973, "The Strength of Weak Ties", American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 78, No. 6, pp. 1360-1380.
  19. GARRIDO MEDINA, Luis; María MIYAR BUSTO, and Jacobo MUÑOZ COMET, 2010, "La dinámica laboral de los inmigrantes en el cambio de fase del ciclo económico", Presupuesto y Gasto Público, No. 61, pp. 201-221.
  20. GONZÁLEZ, Carmen; Roderik PARKES, Alicia SORROZA, and Andreas ETTE [policy paper], 2013, "The EU performance in the global competition for highly-skilled migrants", Paris, Notre Europe-Jacques Delors Institute/Real Instituto Elcano/SWP (Policy Paper 75).
  21. INSTITUTO NACIONAL DE ESTADÍSTICA (INE), 2007, "Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes", Fenómenos demográficos, Madrid, Instituto Nacional de Trabajo e Inmigración, available at: <http://www.ine.es/jaxi/menu.do?type=pcaxis&path=/t20/p319&file=inebase&L=0> .
  22. KAHANEC, Martin and Klaus ZIMMERMANN [discussion paper], 2011, "High Skilled Immigration Policy in Europe", Berlin, Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (Discussion Papers 1096), available at <http://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.366717.de/dp1096.pdf> .
  23. LIN, Nan, 2000, "Inequality in social capital", Contemporary Sociology, Vol. 29, No. 6, pp. 785-795.
  24. MASSEY, Douglas; Joaquín ARANGO, Graeme HUGO, Alí KOUAOUCI, Adela PELLEGRINO, and Edward TAYLOR, 1998, Worlds in Motion; Understanding International Migration at the End of Millennium, Oxford, U.K., Clarendon Press.
  25. MATTOO, Aaditya; Ileana NEAGU, and Çağlar ÖZDEN, (2008), "Brain Waste? Educated Immigrants in the U.S. Labor Market", Journal of Development Economics, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 255-69.
  26. MIGUÉLEZ, Faustino; Antonio MARTÍN, Ramón ALÓS-MONER, Fernando ESTEBAN, Pedro LÓPEZ ROLDÁN, Óscar MOLINA, and Sara MORENO, 2012, Trayectorias laborales de los inmigrantes en España, Barcelona, Obra Social "la Caixa. "
  27. MOLPECERES ÁLVAREZ, Laura, 2012, "Situación laboral de las mujeres inmigrantes en España", Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 91-113.
  28. OOKA, Emi and Barry WELLMAN, 2006, "Does Social Capital Pay Off More within or between Ethnic Groups? Analyzing Job Searches in Five Toronto Ethnic Groups", in Eric Fong, ed., Inside the Mosaic, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, pp. 199-226.
  29. ORTOLANO, Irene and Lorenzo LUATTI, 2007, "'Il mio braccio destro': percorsi di crescita professionale di lavoratori immigrati", in Mondi migranti, No. 2, pp. 153-171.
  30. PALLONI, Alberto; Douglas MASSEY, Miguel CEBALLOS, and Kristin ESPINOSA, 2001, "Social Capital and International Migration. A Test Using Information on Family Networks", American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 106, No. 5, pp. 1262-1298.
  31. PIORE, Michel, 1979, "The dual labor market: theory and implications", in David Gordon, ed., Problems in Political Economy: an Urban Perspective, Massachusetts, U.S., Heath and Co./Lexington Books, pp. 29-33.
  32. PORTES, Alejandro, 1998, "Social Capital: Its Origins and Applications in Modern Sociology", Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 24, pp. 1-24.
  33. POWERS, Mary and William SELTZER, 1998, "Occupational Status and Mobility among Undocumented Immigrants by Gender", International Migration Review, Vol. 32, No. 1, pp. 21-55.
  34. RAIJMAN, Rebecca and Moshe SEMYONOV, 2005, "Modes of Labor Market Incorporation and Occupational Cost Among New Immigrants to Israel", International Migration Review, Vol. 39, No. 1, pp. 45-68.
  35. REDSTONE, Akresh, 2006, "Occupational Mobility Among Legal Immigrants to the United States", International Migration Review, Vol. 40, pp. 854-884.
  36. REYNERI, Emilio, 2006, "De la economía sumergida a la devaluación profesional: nivel educativo e inserción en el mercado de trabajo de los inmigrantes en Italia", Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, No. 113, pp. 213-237.
  37. SANROMÁ, Esteban; Raúl RAMOS, and Hipólito SIMÓN [discussion paper], 2008, "The Portability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation: Evidence for Spain", Germany, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA Discussion Papers 3649).
  38. SANROMÁ, Esteban; Raúl RAMOS, and Hipólito SIMÓN, [discussion paper], 2011, "Occupational Mobility of Immigrants in a Low Skilled Economy: The Spanish Case", Germany, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA Discussion Papers 5581).
  39. SMITH, Sandra, 2000, "Mobilizing Social Resources: Race, Ethnic and Gender Differences in Social Capital and Persisting Wage Inequalities", Sociological Quarterly, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 509-537.
  40. STANEK, Mikolaj and Alberto VEIRA RAMOS, 2009, "Occupational transitions and social mobility at migration to Spain", Cuadernos del Grupo de Estudios Población y Sociedad, No. 4, pp. 1-26.
  41. WILKINS, Roger, 2003, "Immigrant Earnings Adjustment: the Impact of Age at Migration", Australian Economic Papers, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 292-315.