Equal Opportunities?

The integration of the children of immigrants – both those born in the host country (the “second generation”) and those who arrived young enough to be educated in the host country – is of growing policy relevance for OECD countries. This group is entering the labour market in ever larger numbers, and their outcomes are often seen as the benchmark for successful integration policy.

The labour market integration of the children of immigrants is an area where comparative international knowledge is gradually evolving, but still underdeveloped. Recent work by the OECD has shown that the children of immigrants tend to have lower employment outcomes than the children of natives in most countries.

This technical seminar proceedings sheds light on the issues involved in the labour market integration of the children of immigrants, and discusses policy answers and good practices. The seminar was organised jointly by the the EU Commission and the OECD Secretariat in Brussels on 1 and 2 October 2009.