Persistent disadvantage or assimilation? Second-generation immigrants in the Spanish labour market

Abstract The recent entry of the second generation into the Spanish labour market presents an opportunity to examine whether the enduring penalty faced by the first generation is a consequence of the migration process or persists across immigrant generations. Based on the approaches of classical and neo-assimilation, segmented assimilation, and segmentation theories, we use data from the Spanish Labour Force Survey (2021–2024) to compare the probability of precariousness in accessing the labour market, job quality, and occupational attainment of second-generation immigrants with that of the first generation and natives. Our results reveal diverse trajectories based on migration status, ethnic origin, and gender. However, once differences in sociodemographic composition are accounted for, the ethnic component of the labour market disadvantage largely loses its strength for the second generation. This is particularly true for the risk of working in low-skilled occupations, for both men and women, and the risk of being inactive for women. The penalty experienced by the first generation vanishes for the second, indicating a significant improvement. In contrast, penalties in access—both participation and employment—increase for second-generation men of Latin American, Eastern European and, mainly, African origin, pointing to patterns of segmented assimilation. Overall, we conclude that the disadvantages faced by immigrants in the country’s highly segmented labour market seem to be more related to the migration experience than to ethnic origin. These results transcend the Spanish context, informing comparative research on the assimilation of second-generation immigrants in southern Europe by contributing novel evidence from “new immigration contexts.”