Are Young First and Second Generation Immigrants at a Disadvantage in the Australian Labor Market.

This paper examines the assimilation hypothesis for young adult first-and second-generation immigrants in Australia. Models of the total weeks of unemployment and the number of spells of unemployment are examined as indicators of relative labor market conditions. The study differs from earlier work by focusing on young first- and second-generation immigrants and by utilizing information over four consecutive years of the Australian Longitudinal Survey (ALS) data, a comprehensive data set compiled for 1985-1988. The results consistently indicate that even when controlling for qualifications, both first-and second-generation immigrants are at a disadvantage. The results, however, support the hypothesis of declining disadvantage, as second-generation immigrants and those with more years in Australia had significantly more favorable conditions than recent immigrants both overall and within country of origin groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]