Migration and the growth of low-wage work in the EU
This working paper is focusing on the current trends of migration and job polarization. In doing so, we have looked at the role of both the EU-enlargement and the refugee migration in an effort to trace the factors behind the growth of low-paying occupations in Europe. Our empirical findings however indicate that the growing share of migrant workers only has a limited general impact on the growth of the low-wage sector in the EU during the last two decades. The main drivers behind the increasing labour market polarization and growth of the low-wage sector in particular seem more related to technological changes and globalization. When considering the structure of immigrant workers and institutional settings, the impact of immigration workers on the expanding low-wage sector however differs. Most apparent is the positive impact of refugee migrants on the expanding low-wage sector in the anglosaxon economies, and the negative, if any, impact in the other EU15 macro regions.
Authors:
Lars Fredrik Andersson [Corresponding author] Umeå University, Department of Geography and Economic History, Sweden
Rikard Eriksson Umeå University, Department of Geography and Economic History, Sweden
Sandro Scocco Arenagruppen, Arena Idé, Sweden