1. LAMAS Working Group 29 June-1 July 2016
Agenda Item 4.3 TF2: Detailed topic on 'Labour market situation of migrants and their immediate descendants'
I will quickly go through the main points of the paper, to refresh your minds on this topic, and then we will allocate most of the time to discussion of the individual variables which are suggested for testing
Eurostat

2. Overview Module ran in 2008 and in 2014. It will run again in 2021
Four variables from the 2014 module will have to be replaced
Further improvements on other variables, as per recommendations of the 2014 evaluation report
Testing, with grants (Sept April 2017)
Final selection based on the test results
The ad hoc module on migrants has been run two times, and it will be included in the new system of detailed topics, meaning it is planned again for 2021.
Two of the variables in the former version of the module will be included in the core (country of birth of mother and father), and two other variables did not work out very well in 2014 (last country of work abroad, second obstacle to finding a suitable job, both because of the target population size), so these four variables will be replaced.
Smaller adjustments on other variables, which hopefully are improvements, will also be tested, based on the recommendations from the evaluation report from the 2014 module
We will of course test more than four variables, and make the final selection based on the test results
Eurostat

3. New variables to be tested
Job satisfaction
Country where highest level of education was obtained
Skills in the main host country language before migrating
Skill/qualification equivalence new and old job
Time required finding a paid job
Feeling of being discriminated against at work
Entitlement to paid leave and sick leave
Job satisfaction (JBSATISF): no changes, but coming from another module (AHM 2017 and AHM 2015/19). This variable has been suggested for the core LFS during the task force 2 discussions. Regarding the coding, it is proposed to have a symmetrical scale for the answer options.
Country where highest level of education was obtained (HATCNTR, previously CNTREDUC): needed in order to find out if not only country of birth or citizenship influence the labour market situation, but also if the nationality of the respondents' degree matters. Added following the wish of DGs HOME and EMPL.
One open issue remains on whether the country should refer to the country the respondent stayed in when obtaining the qualification, or the country of the educational institution (typically an international branch of a university). The advice of the Education and Training Statistics (ETS) Working Group has been asked and should be received before the (June 2016 LAMAS) meeting.
Skills in the main host country language before migrating (PRKNLANG): added to compare with the other language variables, according to the wish of DGs HOME and EMPL.
Skill/qualification equivalence new and old job (SKILLEQ): will measure underutilisation of migrants' skills, following the proposal from Eurostat, as a measurement of indirect discrimination.
Time required finding a paid job (DURFIJO): added in order to see if migrants have to look for a longer time than nationals to find a job.
Feeling of being discriminated against at work (DISCRIMI): will measure direct discrimination at work, following the wish of LAMAS to better cover this topic. Task force 2 felt the need to ask LAMAS if separate answer options on sexual orientation and/or religion should be included in the variable.
Entitlement to paid leave and sick leave (ENTLEAVE): Compare prevalence of informal employment between migrants and non-migrants on the labour market. The entitlement to paid annual leave and the entitlement to paid sick leave are two of the most important indicators for operationalizing informal employment.

4. Modified variables to be tested
Participation in language course
Recognition of qualifications obtained abroad
Over-qualified for job
Main obstacle to obtaining a suitable job
Skills in host country language
Participation in language course (LANGCOUR): based on the 2014 version, but the new version will ask about types of instruction, in addition to reasons for not following language classes. With the help of explanatory notes (following LANGHOST), the variable will only refer to one language (the same as for LANGHOST), of the respondents' choice, responding to the main failing in 2014 (see evaluation report AHM 2014). Changes in the variable are done following the wishes of DGs EMPL and HOME. This variable will be asked to first generation immigrants who do not have LANGHOST as mother tongue.
Recognition of qualifications obtained abroad (ESTQUAL): based on the 2008 version, but aims to avoid the problems of 2008 and to answer the critique of the December 2015 LAMAS. The new version is copied from the Austrian AHM 2014, where it was added as a national level question (i.e. not regulation based and data not sent to Eurostat). This variable is reintroduced because it is important for DG EMPL to know if there are differences in labour market outcomes when there has been a recognition of foreign qualifications or not.
Over-qualified for job (OVERQUAL): based on the AHM 2014 national level variable in Austria.

5. Exchange of views DISCRIMI Drop: 5 Revise: 8 Don’t revise: 4
Don’t ask about religion or sexual orientation
Ask either about ethnic origin or foreign origin, but not both
So for the results of the exchange of views. I will show you the sum-up of your comments, and our suggested solution, based on the comments. for each of the variables we will open the floor for your comments, aiming to have an agreement on what to do
DISCRIMI:
The results are shown here (5 countries want to drop the variable, 8 want to keep but revise it, and 4 want to keep the original proposal from us) : as a middle ground solution to the outcome of the exchange of views we will drop asking about religion and sexual orientation, and we will keep just one of the options ethnic origin or foreign origin. Both Ireland and the UK have suggested 'race' as the common categorization for this. To me that has some troublesome historic connotations, but I accept that the delegates from Ireland and the United Kingdom have a better command of English than me.
Keeping the entry filter unchanged (has a job , wstator in 1,2)
To keep the discussion on time and to not mix too many issues at the same time, I open the floor for your comments on this variable (we will get back to the others later on), and ask if this is a solution you can support

6. Exchange of views JOBOBSTA Don’t ask about religion: 5
Merge options 4 and 5: 7
Dropping to ask about religion, merging options 4 and 5
Filter changes: 6 (three different suggestions for change, plus requests for no change; seeking and/or wanting and/or overqualified)
(YEARESID ≠ 00 or COBMOTH ≠ COUNTRY or COBFATH ≠ COUNTRY ) AND (SEEKWORK=4 or WANTWORK=1) AND / OR (OVERQUAL=2)
JOBOBSTA:
Dropping to ask about religion, and to merge the answer options 4 and 5 (origin or nationality) and (other obstacle linked to origin or nationality) has majority support.
When it comes to the entry filter, however, we have
Add looking for work: 6
Don’t add looking for work: 4
So, as you can see, a majority for adding this, but a general rule of having simple filters
The question is if you want this filter for the variable, keeping in mind that the main recommendation in the 2014 evaluation report was to expand the target population
Opening the floor for discussion and decision on the entry filter

7. Exchange of views HATCNTR Revise answer options: 2 Don’t revise: 3
Keeping unchanged
ESTQUAL
Don’t revise: 4 Don’t split option 4: 3
Merge option 5 and 6: 5
Merging 5 and 6, otherwise unchanged
JBSATISF
Drop: 3 Revise: 2 Don’t revise: 6
HATCNTR:
the only comment we have received on the entry filter is to keep it as it is. In addition, we have 3 requests to offer the full list of countries as answer options, and two requests to have a simplified list.
We will therefore don’t revise this variable
ESTQUAL:
Effectively 7 requests to not revise answer option 4 (no, because not needed), but 5 requests to merge answer options 5 and 6 (no, because not aware of possibilities or procedures) and (no, because of delay, costs, or complexity of the procedures). We will have to come up with a new and shortened name for this option though
JBSATISF:
This is a classic, and has received a number of comments on if it should have an odd or an even number of answer options. As most comments are 'don’t revise', we suggest to keep it as it is
Opening the floor for comments on these three variables

8. Exchange of views PRKNLANG Keep answer option 1: 8 Use AES: 3
Keeping the answer option
LANGHOST
Keep answer option 1: 7
Drop answer option 1: 3 Use AES: 4
PRKNLANG:
A clear majority for keeping answer option 1 (mother tongue), so we propose to do just that. the Adult Education Survey approach did not receive much support
LANGHOST: the same goes for this variable. The only addition which could be discussed is if we want to rename 'mother tongue' to 'first language', as proposed by the UK
Opening for your comments

9. Exchange of views LANGCOUR Don’t revise: 4
Filter change (filter out pre-knowledge of language=mother tongue): 3
Add the suggested filter
DURFIJO
Don’t revise: 5
Add suggested filter (seeking work): 6
Keeping unchanged
For the two last variables we propose solutions which go against the majority view, and I will explain why
LANGCOUR:
Minority request to not ask to those who had the language in question as their mother tongue before migrating. Seems reasonable to drop asking, as an example, immigrants from Austria to Germany if they took classes in German
DURFIJO:
The main argument for adding the extra filter is that the question is irrelevant for those who did not migrate to work
The main argument against not adding the extra filter (Slovakia) is that there are different reference periods: we ask about time of arrival in the country and link it to their current search for work. So, if we add this filter the content of the variable changes markedly.
Our proposal is therefore to not add the extra filter, as the answer option did not look for a job takes care of the situation, and keeps the intention of the variable intact. Expanded notes on seconded workers who did not start to work at arrival
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