Regional distribution and location choices of immigrants in Germany

This paper investigates initial and subsequent location choices of recent European Union immigrants in Germany at the county level (NUTS-3). Using federal employment register data, the evidence suggests heterogeneous preferences among individuals regarding regional characteristics. For the first location choice, good labour market conditions seem to attract immigrants strongly, while the presence of co-nationals appears to be less important. However, regarding subsequent location choices, ethnic concentration apparently increases its impact on regional attractiveness. The primary conclusion of this paper is that assimilation in the sense of a more equal distribution of immigrants across regions seems to fail.