The strength of ethnic ties: Routes into the labour market in spaces of segregation

This study analyses whether ethnic segregation leads to social isolation and lack of access to valuable informal channels into the labour market. We use a survey of Swedish-born young adults in Stockholm, whose parents were born either in Turkey (Stratum T) or in Sweden (Stratum S). Stratum T was randomly sampled, whereas Stratum S was sampled according to the residential distribution of Stratum T. Our results show that persons in Stratum T use informal contacts more often in order to find employment than Stratum S. Living in immigrant-dense areas increases the likelihood of finding employment through informal contacts. For Stratum T, co-ethnic contacts are more important than other contacts, in particular if they are neighbours. Access to ethnic networks and the use of ethnic contacts in the labour market differ between persons of Turkish, Kurdish and Assyrian/Syriac backgrounds. In contrast to the isolation thesis, this study shows that young adults in immigrantdense neighbourhoods have access to and benefit more from informal channels in order to find ways into labour market. Introduction and aim of the study Opportunities in the labour market are shaped not only by the individual’s personal characteristics, but also by the economic, spatial and social context in which the individual is embedded. In this paper we explore whether ethnic segregation is associated with social isolation and limited access to informal channels to the labour market. Residential segregation has been presented as a threat toward the social cohesion of cities, and segregated neighbourhoods as pockets of poverty leading to social exclusion (Andersson et al 2010). Ethnic segregation, in particular, is discussed in terms of isolation and lack of links to the majority population thereby hampering access to the labour market for immigrants and their children. In this paper we present analyses of access and mobilisation of different kinds of informal channels for young individuals born in Sweden with parents born in Turkey, in neighbourhoods with different levels of ethnic concentration. Our results indicate that ethnic residential segregation is not associated with social isolation, since it includes access to ethnic networks that provide important channels into the labour market. While ethnic segregation in the labour market may contribute to socioeconomic segregation along ethnic lines, our results indicate that access to ethnic ties should be considered an important resource in the labour market.