Is Education an Engine for Immigrants’ Employment Outcome?

This paper assesses the role of (foreign) education in determining the adjustment profile of immigrants in employment using the Dutch Labour Force Survey and regression analysis techniques. The disadvantaged labour market position of immigrants from developing countries is often linked to their lower skill levels. Correspondingly, recent migration policies aim to counter unskilled immigration in favour of skilled migration. An (implicit) assumption is that a higher (home) country education will accelerate the adjustment of immigrants in the host country labour market. This study tests whether education acts as an integration engine in the Netherlands labour market. Analysis does not indicate such a particular effect of education for immigrants in the Netherlands. Instead, the country/region of origin is found to be a stronger predictor of one’s adjustment profile.