The Positioning of Transnationally Mobile Europeans in the German Labour Market

This article analyses the economic integration of transnationally mobile Europeans into the German labour market. The measure used for the degree of integration is their relative income. Specifically, the article attempts to answer the question, whether and to which degree the integration of transnationally mobile Europeans into the labour market depends on their national origins or on their social origins. Based on the concept of transnational social mobility which goes beyond classical migration research, we will point out the factors that position mobile Europeans in the labour market and the feedback effects on national class systems. The results show that it is not national origin but social-structural characteristics that explains the positioning of EU-transnationals. The empirical basis of this article is primary data on Berlin's labour market gathered in the beginning of 2002.