Page 75 - valuing-diversity-guidance-for-labour-market-integration-of-migrants

Valuing diversity: guidance for labour market integration of migrants

3.3. Closing a gap?

Figure 14 Proportion of native and third-country born population with higher
education (%), 2009-12

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30

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28

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Non-EU
26 Native

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24

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22
2009 2010 2011 2012

Source: Eurostat, EU labour force survey.

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The programme for international student assessment (PISA) ( ) results show
that, particularly in the case of the native children of foreign-born parents, there is
a strong correlation between their education results and parent’s education level.
The stronger effect of social-economic background in the case of native born
children of immigrants is likely to occur due to a higher degree of acculturation
relative to foreign-born children. Similarly, in the 2009 PISA survey, the earlier
the age of arrival of non-native children to the host country, the better their
literacy results tend to be.
Despite the statistical indication of the independent influence of immigrant
status and cultural distance on educational outcomes, in countries where
selection of immigrants is based on their qualification levels, the results tend to
level with those of children with native parents (OECD, 2009). Significant gaps
exist, nevertheless, in most European countries and especially in Belgium,
Germany and Austria.
Despite the apparent recent turn in the composition of immigration, Europe
has historically attracted relatively low number numbers of highly qualified labour

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( ) It should be noted that these PISA results are strongly correlated with official
educational results.

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