Education mismatch for second generation migrants. An analysis of applied science graduates in the Netherlands

Abstract

Studies on overeducation and unemployment show that migrants are worse off in the labour market. In this study we focus on university of applied science graduates and compare second generation migrants and Dutch natives in order to look at a homogenous group. We furthermore extent the definition of educational mismatches by including horizontal mismatches. We find that migrants, and in particular non-western migrants, experience ethnic penalties in employment. Non-western migrants are more likely to experience a double mismatch, i.e. a horizontal as well as a vertical mismatch. Furthermore, western migrants are more likely to experience horizontal mismatches than natives. Analyses on whether ethnic penalties persist across the non-western minority show that Antillean migrants have relatively good labour market outcomes whereas Moroccan migrants are the worst off. Furthermore, we find a gender dimension in the educational mismatches for western migrants. While western male migrants only show slight differences in labour market outcomes, western female migrants are less likely to be correctly matched and more likely to be unemployed than their native counterparts. Comparing educational mismatches before and during the recent economic crisis shows that in times of economic downturns, the labour market position of non-western migrants is disproportionally negatively affected.