You Can Take Some of It with You!

This study investigates to what extent skilled immigrants are granted access to the qualified sectors of the German labor market. Vocational certificates are signals which inform the employer about applicants’ occupational skills. In this national framework, applicants who hold foreign certificates obviously face some serious problems: First, for German employers, foreign certificates will generally provide less information on an applicant’s skills and capabilities. Secondly, employers may use a candidate’s country of origin as an index of individual productivity. Based on a factorial survey, we compare the chances of skilled applicants from different countries of origin (Bulgaria, England, France, Portugal, and Turkey) to be invited to an interview for the position of an office management assistant. The results show, as expected, that applicants with German qualifications have a bonus, but that foreign vocational certificates are commonly accepted by German employers; however, they are less highly rated than German degrees. In addition, our results indicate discrimination against non-Western foreign applicants.