Veranstaltungsprogramm

The contribution presents findings from a recent research project (2021-2025) on the social construction of “deskilling” among highly educated EU migrants from CEE countries in Vienna (see https://demico.univie.ac.at/). Our qualitative approach focuses on the micro-level processes leading to this phenomenon. We thereby opt for a multi-perspective and longitudinal proceeding, combining a qualitative panel study with migrants from Hungary, Czech Republic and Romania, and interviews with institutional actors. Contrary to most research on this topic, we do not investigate deskilling from a static point of view but take account of the temporal dimension of this phenomenon. We thus opt for process-oriented research in order to gain insights into the ways that deskilling processes are lived by the individuals concerned. Such a qualitative longitudinal approach enables us to trace changes at the individual level over time, thus offering a fresh perspective on deskilling.

The findings inidcate that interviewees experience a tension between their own understanding of class belonging and their racialisation as ‘cheap labour’ migrants from ‘Eastern Europe.’ Racialised markers are described as penalising when navigating the labour market, indicating that respondents’ privilege as white, educated EU migrants is only partial. Their middle-class status is ambivalent, as it is associated with relative privilege but requires constant efforts to avoid status loss.

Beyond immigrants’ access to employment, one important way to measure “success” of economic integration is the distinction whether the occupational tasks are vertically adequate for the educa-tional level attained, below, or even above it. With special emphasis on the latter case of high achievers, my investigation of economic participation in Germany focuses on immigrants with non-academic vocational training from 15 EU countries, hence enjoying the right of free movement. This contribution investigates the influence of several educational differentiations within this group. 1) Do vertical and horizontal differentiations within the broad category of vocational mid-level qualifi-cation impact upon the educational adequacy of occupational status in a similar fashion as they do for German natives? Signal theory as well cultural-capital theory predict weaker effects of other-wise more favorable specifics of vocational training. 2) Does the macro-factor of the degree to which the vocational systems of country of origin and of reception are (dis-)similar impact upon the opportunities of the individual migrant? The German “dual system” of vocational training with its large share of the learning time in enterprises can be a hurdle for immigrants from the many state where vocational training is only organized in schools. The variation between EU-countries of origin regarding the extent of formal learning on the job allows to analyze the impact of institutional mis-match empirically. I use the EU Labour Force Survey (LFS) to generate country-level indicators and match them with individual-level data of pooled German-Mikrozensus waves (2017 - 2022). The newly introduced question to younger LFS-interviewees in how far the educational program they last completed included working at a firm allows to operationalize the institutional mismatch of vo-cational training systems. The sample encompasses individuals immigrated from EU-member states (PO, RO, HR, IT, AT, EL, BG, NL, SK, CZ, LZ, ES, PO, FR) since the year 2000. The target variable con-sists of three levels of complexity of tasks required on the job (5th digit of the German occupational classification). Multivariate results show the prevailing but weaker effects of vertical and horizontal educational qualification among immigrants and the additional boost of coming from a country with a similar vocational training system.

Many migration events are remigration events. Still, so far little is known about remigration. While some authors stress that remigration is associated with failure in the host country, others claim that a temporary stay abroad would lead to economic advantages after remigration. In addition to economic aspects, other factors might be decisive for remigration decisions. Thus, this presentation focuses on the following research questions: How do German remigrants from Switzerland differ from those Germans who stay in Switzerland? Do their remigration decisions depend solely on economic factors, or were other – non-economic - goals (not) achieved?

Analysing migration patterns between Germany and Switzerland is especially relevant as Germany and Switzerland represent the major host countries for temporary migrants within the EU (Mieres and Kuptsch 2022: 19) and Switzerland is the most common destination country of German emigrants (Statistisches Bundesamt 2024). To investigate Germans’ remigration decisions from Switzerland, two datasets are needed. To cover German remigrants from Switzerland, we use the German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS). To assess German emigrant stayers in Switzerland, we use the Migration Mobility Survey (MMS). Differences between German remigrants from and German emigrant stayers in Switzerland are examined running logistic regressions on the remigration decision. Explanatory variables include socio-economic, demographic and family-related characteristics.

Results will contribute significantly to our understanding of remigration decisions between highly industrialized countries, i.e. in the context of privileged migration. Interesting economic and non-economic differences within these groups are expected. The transferability of findings to migration patterns between other highly industrialized countries are discussed.

References

Mieres, F. & Kuptsch, C. 2022. Temporary Labour Migration: Unpacking Complexities (Synthesis Report).International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva, Switzerland.

Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis). 2024. Switzerland is most common European destination for German emigrants [Online]. Statistisches Bundesamt. https://www.destatis.de/Europa/EN/Topic/Population-Labour-Social-Issues/Demography-migration/Deutsche_EUAusland.html [Accessed 14.02.2025].

Economic labor market theories are ambiguous when it comes to the returns from return migration. Migrants’ home country labor markets could either pay a premium on the human capital acquired through temporary stays abroad or they could punish them for the lack of work experience in the home country. Is the answer conditioned by migrants’ gender? We contribute to the literature on labor market outcomes of return migrants in various ways. First, we examine return migrants to the privileged context of Germany, representing high-income countries which are seldom studied as countries of emigration and let alone as countries of return migration. Second, we ask whether the returns to returning vary by gender. Meanwhile, we consider gender differences in (the intensity of) labor market participation. Third, we examine gender differences in several potential outcomes including the likelihood of employment, the intensity of employment (work hours), salary, and occupational status. We draw on data from the German Emigration and Remigration Panel Study (GERPS) for return migrants and use the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) as reference for non-migrants. We use multivariate analysis methods and entropy balancing to identify the effect of return migration on labor market outcomes. Preliminary findings indicate that return migrants are less likely to be employed than non-migrants and that the penalty among women is higher. Among those employed after return, wages and working hours are higher than among non-migrants and the difference is higher among women than men. Finally, the occupational prestige of return migrants is only slightly higher than among return migrants and there are no gender differences.