Leif Husted

Employment and Wage Assimilation of Male First Generation Immigrants in Denmark

Labour market assimilation of Danish first generation male immigrants is analysed based on two panel data sets covering the population of immigrants and 10% of the Danish population during 1984-1995. Wages and employment probabilities are estimated jointly in a random effects model which corrects for unobserved cohort and individual effects and panel selectivity due to missing wage information. The results show that immigrants assimilate partially to Danes, but the assimilation process differs between refugees and non-refugees.

The times they are a-changin': Declining immigrant employment opportunities in Scandinavia

This article compares and contrasts male immigrant labor market experiences in Sweden and Denmark during the period 1985–1995. Using register-based panel data sets from Sweden and Denmark, a picture of the employment assimilation process of immigrants from Norway, Poland, and Turkey is presented. The comparative approach shows that immigrants in Sweden and Denmark experienced similar declines in employment prospects between 1985 and 1995 despite quite different developments of aggregate labor market conditions. A possible explanation is that the changing organizational structure – toward more flexible work organization – has resulted in a decrease in the attractiveness of immigrant employees due to the increasing importance of country-specific skills and informal human capital.

The Effects of Active Labour Market Policies for Immigrants Receiving Social Assistance in Denmark

We estimate the effect of active labour-market programmes on the exit rate to regular employment for non-western immigrants in Denmark who receive social assistance. We use the timing-of-events duration model and rich administrative data. We find large positive post-programme effects, and, surprisingly, even most in-programme effects are positive. The effects are largest for subsidized employment programmes, but effects are also large and significant for direct employment programmes and other programmes. Effects are larger if programmes begin after six months of unemployment. Implications of our estimates are illustrated by calculating effects on the duration to regular employment over a five-year period.JEL classification codesJ64, J24, J68, J61, C41