The Transition from School to Work for Children of Immigrants with Lower-Level Educational Credentials in the United States and France

International audienceThis paper compares the transition from school to work among Mexican-origin youth in the united States and north african-origin youth in France relative to the native-majority youth with similar low-level credentials.The goal is to understand the extent to which these groups experience ethnic penalties in the labor market not explained by social class, low-level credentials, or other characteristics.The patterns of employment for second-generation minorities play out differently in the two contexts.In France, lack of access to jobs is a source of disadvantage for north african children of immigrants, while in the united States, second-generation Mexicans do not suffer from a lack of employment.Indeed, the Mexican second-generation shows a uniquely high level of employment. We argue that high levels of youth unemployment in the society, as is the case in France, means greater ethnic penalties for second-generation minorities