From School to Work: Public Policy and Underclass Formation among Young Turks in Germany during the 1980s

Abstract

This article analyzes the entry of young Turkish immigrants into German labor markets during the 1980s. In comparative perspective, Germany shows a high degree of public responsibility for job training of school leavers. The German apprenticeship, or dual system of vocational and job training, has resulted in high rates of training and low youth unemployment rates. However, while the participation rate of young Turks in the dual system has increased over the past decade, a high degree of ethnic inequality has persisted. Ethnically-specific access to job training and employment has developed. This finding applies even more strongly to young Turkish women than to Turkish men. Nevertheless, no ethnic underclass emerged during the 1980s. It remains to be seen, however, how the process of European integration will affect the insertion of the descendants of Turkish migrants.