Can Care Service and ALMP Reduce Female Migrant Penalty in the Labour Market? A Multilevel Analysis of 16 Western European Countries

ABSTRACT

This study explores policy effects including care service and ALMP regarding female workforces' labour market outcomes, focused on migration status. Third country migrant women's increased presence and their labour market integration after post‐industrialism have been important issues regarding labour market segregation and relevant welfare state policy developments. Active measures for labour participation like care service in family policy and ALMP in labour policy were used to investigate how far these two policies can moderate labour market outcomes according to migration status. In turn, how the average migrant penalty with respect to natives in 16 Western European countries varies was analysed. Stepwise models incrementing individual conditions, policy measures, and welfare regime clusters were conducted by employing multilevel modelling. Results showed that both policies strongly moderate migrants' employment and job quality over that of natives and, importantly, with low ALMP levels a negative association between care service and female workforces' job quality was found regardless of migration status.