Key Factors behind Labour Market Marginalization of Young Immigrants: Limited Access to Apprenticeships, 'State Dependence' or Low Qualifications?

This article studies the transition from school to work among youth with low or medium-low competence level. Youth who have proceeded to higher education are excluded from the analyses. The youth have all participated in Norwegian upper secondary education, but many have not completed their schooling. The situation of youth of non-Western origin and ethnic Norwegian youth is compared. The effects of apprenticeship experience, qualifications and state dependence on the labour market situation are examined. State dependence is understood as the effect of unemployment experience at an early career stage on future labour market opportunities. The ethnic minority youth do not have the same probability of being employed as the ethnic majority youth with the same competence and grades level. The positive effect of apprenticeship experience was less important than what was expected. Although large effects of state dependence are found, this does not explain the immigrant youth's higher rate of being without work.