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Do Legal Immigrants and Natives Compete in the Labour Market? Evidence from Catalonia

Author

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  • Diaz-Serrano, Luis

    (Universitat Rovira i Virgili)

Abstract

The precondition for labour-market competition between immigrants and natives is that both are willing to accept jobs that do not differ in quality. To test this hypothesis, in this paper we compare the working conditions between immigrants and natives in Catalonia. Comparing immigrants' working conditions in relation to their native counterparts is not only a useful analysis for studying the extent to which immigrants and low-skilled native workers are direct competitors in the labour market, but also allows us to contribute to the literature on this issue by moving away from the conventional approach used in previous studies. Our results indicate that: i) natives and immigrants display a different taste for job (dis)amenities; ii) Catalan-born workers might be in direct competition with EU15 immigrants, while non-Catalan Spanish workers might be competing with Latin American immigrants, and; iii) African-born immigrants are the group in the Catalan workforce that by far face the worst working conditions.

Suggested Citation

  • Diaz-Serrano, Luis, 2010. "Do Legal Immigrants and Natives Compete in the Labour Market? Evidence from Catalonia," IZA Discussion Papers 4693, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4693
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hazans, Mihails, 2011. "What explains prevalence of informal employment in European countries : the role of labor institutions, governance, immigrants, and growth," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5917, The World Bank.
    2. Solé, Meritxell & Diaz-Serrano, Luis & Rodriguez Martinez, Marisol, 2010. "Work, Risk and Health: Differences between Immigrants and Natives in Spain," IZA Discussion Papers 5338, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    working conditions; job quality; job satisfaction; immigration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J28 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Safety; Job Satisfaction; Related Public Policy
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions

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