Occupational Segregation in France: “Brown-Collar” Jobs or an Overall Immigrant Disadvantage?

Rebbeca Tesfai , Temple University

Large-scale labor migration is considered a relatively recent phenomenon in most European countries; however, immigrants have been an integral part of the French labor force nearly as long as in the United States. Numerous studies document Sub-Saharan African immigrants’ employment and wage disadvantages in France. However, very few studies investigate an important aspect of Sub-Saharan African immigrants’ labor market integration – occupational segregation. Using 2011 French census data, I examine Sub-Saharan African immigrants’ occupational segregation. I utilize Duncan and Duncan Dissimilarity indices to estimate occupational segregation and regression analyses to identify predictors of occupational segregation. I find that African immigrants are over-represented in low-status jobs. Sub-Saharan Africans are also highly segregated in the French labor market. My results suggest that Sub-Saharan African immigrants experience a unique disadvantage in the French labor market. Future research is needed to determine whether Sub-Saharan Africans’ occupational segregation explains their low wages in France.

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 Presented in Session 241. Migration, Inequality, and Social Mobility