Kin Solidarity and Socioeconomic Incorporation: Strong, Weak and Linking Ties Among Young First-Generation Immigrants in Pre-Crisis Spain

Social networks are widely expected to ease immigrants’ incorporation, yet the value of a tie depends on the labor market in which it operates. Drawing on 8183 first-generation immigrants aged 16–65 who arrived in Spain between 1996 and 2004, taken from the 2007 National Immigrant Survey, this article examines how strong, weak and linking ties are associated with the socioeconomic position that young immigrants (16–35) had reached by 2007, compared with older immigrants (36–65). Position is measured with an index of income, occupational prestige, labor mobility and housing and, in the multivariate models, with a latent factor resting mainly on occupation and income. Larger kin networks and more family support are associated with lower positions in both age groups, although the associations are modest; weak ties show small and inconsistent associations, while linking ties—above all, a prior job offer—coincide with higher positions. Average positions are similar across age groups, the strong tie association does not differ between them, and the youth disadvantage is confined to the low-qualified. Because the data are cross-sectional, reliance on kin may reflect constrained alternatives as well as limit advancement. Kin solidarity sustained newcomers without translating into better positions in a segmented pre-crisis labor market.