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The Muslim Employment Gap, Human Capital, and Ethno-Religious Penalties: Evidence from Switzerland

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  • Anaïd Lindemann

    (Institute of Social Sciences of Religions, University of Lausanne, Switzerland)

  • Jörg Stolz

    (Institute of Social Sciences of Religions, University of Lausanne, Switzerland)

Abstract

In Europe, Muslims are more likely to be unemployed than non-Muslims. Many studies try to explain this employment gap by human capital and contextual factors on the one hand, and by ethno-religious penalties (discrimination due to religious affiliation, religiosity, or migration factors) on the other. In these studies, it is normally assumed that human capital mediates the effect of Muslim affiliation, and that controlling for human capital will therefore reduce the odds for Muslims of being unemployed. We replicate the well-known study by Connor and Koenig (2015) along these lines, using the most recent and representative Swiss data from 2014 (N = 16,487). Our key result is that Muslim affiliation does not mediate, but actually moderates, the effect of human capital on unemployment. We find a powerful interaction in that Muslims both with a very low and a very high level of education are disproportionally often unemployed. This is important because it means that raising the human capital of Muslims will not automatically lessen, but may instead actually widen, the employment gap. We discuss possible theoretical mechanisms that might explain this finding.

Suggested Citation

  • Anaïd Lindemann & Jörg Stolz, 2018. "The Muslim Employment Gap, Human Capital, and Ethno-Religious Penalties: Evidence from Switzerland," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(2), pages 151-161.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:socinc:v6:y:2018:i:2:p:151-161
    DOI: 10.17645/si.v6i2.1395
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Phillip Connor & Matthias Koenig, 2013. "Bridges and Barriers: Religion and Immigrant Occupational Attainment across Integration Contexts," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 3-38, March.
    2. repec:sae:mrxval:v:47:y:2013:i:1:p:3-38 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Kohler, Pierre, 2012. "Three essays on the economic and cultural integration of migrants in Switzerland: putting into perspective the influence of economic discrimination and of host society culture," MPRA Paper 38129, University Library of Munich, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Melissa J. Wilde, 2018. "Editorial: “Complex Religion: Intersections of Religion and Inequality”," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(2), pages 83-86.

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