Social Origin and Gendered Labor Market Integration among Second-Generation Immigrants in Norway

Second-generation immigrants are expected to achieve labor-market outcomes comparable to those of children of native-born parents, yet research consistently shows persistent disadvantages, including overqualification, weaker attachment to work, and employment gaps. While these patterns are well documented, less is known about the extent to which family background shapes long-term labor-market trajectories across early adulthood. Here, using population-wide registry data from Norway, we follow a full birth cohort from age 21 to 35 and construct a trajectory-based Labor Market Integration (LMI) index that summarizes longitudinal employment, education, and welfare trajectories across early adulthood. We show that second-generation immigrants experience substantial integration gaps relative to children of native-born parents, but that these are largely accounted for by parental education, household income, and parental disability. Although outcomes for women converge with those of their Norwegian peers once family background is considered, a significant gap persists for men. Our results demonstrate that social origin remains a powerful determinant of integration outcomes in a universalistic welfare state. These findings highlight the importance of policies that address socioeconomic inequalities in the family context, through early educational support, income stability, and health interventions in the labor market.