Description

The integration of the children of immigrants - both those born in the host country (the "second generation") and those who arrived young enough to be educated in the host country - is of growing policy relevance for OECD countries. This group is entering the labour market in ever larger numbers. Since these children of immigrants have been raised and educated in the host country, their outcomes are often seen as the benchmark for successful integration policy. Concern over labour market integration is particularly pertinent for those children whose parents have low levels of education. The labour market integration of the children of immigrants is an area where comparative international knowledge is gradually evolving, but still underdeveloped. Recent work by the OECD has shown that the children of immigrants tend to have lower employment outcomes than the children of natives in most countries. This is partly due to their lower educational attainment, but a substantial gap remains even when education levels are comparable. To shed more light on the issues involved in the labour market integration of the children of immigrants, and to discuss policy answers and share good practices, the EU Commission and the OECD Secretariat jointly organised a technical seminar in Brussels on 1 and 2 October 2009. This publication contains the proceedings of this event. Further reading: Jobs for Immigrants (Vol. 1): Labour Market Integration in Australia, Denmark, Germany and Sweden (2007), Jobs for Immigrants (Vol. 2): Labour Market Integration in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Portugal (2008)