Interventions to improve the economic self-sufficiency of unemployed immigrants from non-Western countries

Interventions to improve non-western immigrants’ economic self-sufficiency increases their probability of employment and their earnings. The first effect is modest, while the second is substantial. The analysis points toward increasing probability of employment effects over time. However, since these results are statistically uncertain, we interpret the positive probability of employment effect as stable over time.

The positive probability of employment effect holds for both men and women. However, our results also show that this effect materializes faster among men than among women. We find short term (0-1 years post programme) positive effects on men but not on women for whom positive effects only materialize in the medium and long term. That finding underlines that labour market integration is a field where policy makers should not expect a quick return on investment, especially among women.