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Do Immigrants Suffer More From Job Loss? Unemployment and Subjective Well-being in Germany

Author

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  • Liliya Leopold

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Thomas Leopold

    (University of Amsterdam)

  • Clemens M. Lechner

    (GESIS – Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences)

Abstract

This study asks whether immigrants suffer more from unemployment than German natives. Differences between these groups in pre-unemployment characteristics, the type of the transition into unemployment, and the consequences of this transition suggest that factors intensifying the negative impact of unemployment on subjective well-being are more concentrated in immigrants than in natives. Based on longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (1990–2014; N = 34,767 persons aged 20 to 64; N = 210,930 person-years), we used fixed-effects models to trace within-person change in subjective well-being across the transition from employment into unemployment and over several years of continued unemployment. Results showed that immigrants’ average declines in subjective well-being exceeded those of natives. Further analyses revealed gender interactions. Among women, declines were smaller and similar among immigrants and natives. Among men, declines were larger and differed between immigrants and natives. Immigrant men showed the largest declines, amounting to one standard deviation of within-person change over time in subjective well-being. Normative, social, and economic factors did not explain these disproportionate declines. We discuss alternative explanations for why immigrant men are most vulnerable to the adverse effects of unemployment in Germany.

Suggested Citation

  • Liliya Leopold & Thomas Leopold & Clemens M. Lechner, 2017. "Do Immigrants Suffer More From Job Loss? Unemployment and Subjective Well-being in Germany," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(1), pages 231-257, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:54:y:2017:i:1:d:10.1007_s13524-016-0539-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-016-0539-x
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    Cited by:

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    4. Toselli, Stefania & Rinaldo, Natascia & Gualdi-Russo, Emanuela, 2019. "Length of residence and obesity risk among North African immigrant women in Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 74-79.
    5. Hudde, Ansgar & Jacob, Marita, 2022. "There’s More in the Data! Using Month-Specific Information to Estimate Changes Before and After Major Life Events," SocArXiv vueas, Center for Open Science.
    6. Silvia Loi & Peng Li & Mikko Myrskylä, 2022. "At the intersection of adverse life course pathways: the effects on health by nativity," MPIDR Working Papers WP-2022-018, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany.
    7. Ansgar Hudde & Marita Jacob, 2023. "There’s More in the Data! Using Month-Specific Information to Estimate Changes Before and After Major Life Events," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1184, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    8. Thomas Leopold, 2018. "Gender Differences in the Consequences of Divorce: A Study of Multiple Outcomes," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 55(3), pages 769-797, June.

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