Immigrant occupational mobility in Russia

Abstract

The occupational mobility of migrants is one of the key characteristics of their economic integration. The article analyzes the occupational mobility of immigrants from their countries of origin to Russia and its main determinants. Mobility of migrants from the last job at home to the first job in Russia and from the first job to the current job in Russia is considered. The empirical basis is the data of a representative survey of migrants (more than 8500 citizens of the CIS countries and Georgia. The evidence shows that immigrant occupational mobility is characterized by a combination of large-scale intense initial downgrading when migrants enter the Russian labor market and a limited occupational progress during their stay in Russia. Higher education and Russian proficiency reduce the risks of downward mobility during the transition from the last job in the home country to the first job in Russia, but their influence on the economic integration of migrants is very limited. A significant factor is the structure of the regional market: the larger the proportion of people employed in labor-intensive service industries, the higher the likelihood of immigrant occupational downgrading. The evidence for Russia is more in line with the proposal of segmented assimilation theory, which suggests that immigrants experience has limited or blocked occupational mobility.