Are Skeie Hermansen
@aresherman.bsky.social
professor of sociology at the University of Oslo. trying to explain why some do, and some don't. "well, I can tell you about the river / or we could just get in"
📌 Key finding: More immigrant coworkers → lower exit rates among immigrant workers, small increase in exits among majority workers
🔑 Why? Effects are strongest when coworkers are coethnics, when they have the same skills, and when immigrant coworkers are represented among top earners
🔑 Why? Effects are strongest when coworkers are coethnics, when they have the same skills, and when immigrant coworkers are represented among top earners
October 8, 2025 at 3:10 PM
📌 Key finding: More immigrant coworkers → lower exit rates among immigrant workers, small increase in exits among majority workers
🔑 Why? Effects are strongest when coworkers are coethnics, when they have the same skills, and when immigrant coworkers are represented among top earners
🔑 Why? Effects are strongest when coworkers are coethnics, when they have the same skills, and when immigrant coworkers are represented among top earners
🚨 New paper in @sfjournal.bsky.social: Blending In or Moving On? @enlar.bsky.social @aleksandermadsen.bsky.social, and I study how the share of immigrant coworkers affects whether immigrants stay or leave their job. Here’s what we find 👇
Link to paper: doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...
Link to paper: doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...
October 8, 2025 at 3:10 PM
🚨 New paper in @sfjournal.bsky.social: Blending In or Moving On? @enlar.bsky.social @aleksandermadsen.bsky.social, and I study how the share of immigrant coworkers affects whether immigrants stay or leave their job. Here’s what we find 👇
Link to paper: doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...
Link to paper: doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...
Inequalities also vary by field.
⚖️ Law and 🩺 medicine stand out as the most selective by family background, with about 70% of faculty having university-educated parents.
These fields show especially limited representation from low-SES families.
⚖️ Law and 🩺 medicine stand out as the most selective by family background, with about 70% of faculty having university-educated parents.
These fields show especially limited representation from low-SES families.
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Inequalities also vary by field.
⚖️ Law and 🩺 medicine stand out as the most selective by family background, with about 70% of faculty having university-educated parents.
These fields show especially limited representation from low-SES families.
⚖️ Law and 🩺 medicine stand out as the most selective by family background, with about 70% of faculty having university-educated parents.
These fields show especially limited representation from low-SES families.
Nearly 40% of professors come from families without university-educated parents.
But across cohorts, professors from low-SES families have become less common in more recent generations.
But across cohorts, professors from low-SES families have become less common in more recent generations.
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Nearly 40% of professors come from families without university-educated parents.
But across cohorts, professors from low-SES families have become less common in more recent generations.
But across cohorts, professors from low-SES families have become less common in more recent generations.
But these gaps are explained by who completes a PhD — not by barriers after the PhD.
Once individuals hold a doctorate, parental background — whether measured by education, earnings, or professor titles — no longer predicts who becomes a professor.
Once individuals hold a doctorate, parental background — whether measured by education, earnings, or professor titles — no longer predicts who becomes a professor.
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
But these gaps are explained by who completes a PhD — not by barriers after the PhD.
Once individuals hold a doctorate, parental background — whether measured by education, earnings, or professor titles — no longer predicts who becomes a professor.
Once individuals hold a doctorate, parental background — whether measured by education, earnings, or professor titles — no longer predicts who becomes a professor.
The likelihood of becoming a professor rises sharply when considering both parental education and parental earnings together. Children from high-education, high-income families are vastly overrepresented in the professoriate.
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
The likelihood of becoming a professor rises sharply when considering both parental education and parental earnings together. Children from high-education, high-income families are vastly overrepresented in the professoriate.
• Children of PhD-educated parents are 28 times more likely to become professors than those whose parents only completed compulsory school.
• Children of professors are 11 times more likely to join the faculty than everyone else.
• Children of professors are 11 times more likely to join the faculty than everyone else.
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
• Children of PhD-educated parents are 28 times more likely to become professors than those whose parents only completed compulsory school.
• Children of professors are 11 times more likely to join the faculty than everyone else.
• Children of professors are 11 times more likely to join the faculty than everyone else.
🚨 New paper: Who climbs the Ivory Tower? 🏛️ Together with Nicolai Borgen and Astrid Sandsør (@astridsandsor.bsky.social), we find that the chances of becoming a professor differ enormously by family background. Here’s what we find 👇
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
October 2, 2025 at 7:58 PM
🚨 New paper: Who climbs the Ivory Tower? 🏛️ Together with Nicolai Borgen and Astrid Sandsør (@astridsandsor.bsky.social), we find that the chances of becoming a professor differ enormously by family background. Here’s what we find 👇
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
In countries where we can track workers as they change jobs over time, panel data analyses (AKM models) show that immigrants’ lack of access to high-paying jobs is attributable to segregation both in the job-level earnings premiums that employers pay and segregation based on worker skill. 8/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In countries where we can track workers as they change jobs over time, panel data analyses (AKM models) show that immigrants’ lack of access to high-paying jobs is attributable to segregation both in the job-level earnings premiums that employers pay and segregation based on worker skill. 8/9
Moreover, analyses using hourly wages instead of annual earnings in the countries where this information is available align with our main findings. The overall patterns are qualitatively similar for men and women, and high- and low-skill workers. 7/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Moreover, analyses using hourly wages instead of annual earnings in the countries where this information is available align with our main findings. The overall patterns are qualitatively similar for men and women, and high- and low-skill workers. 7/9
Given that we identify unequal job sorting as the central bottleneck behind the pay disparities, our findings point to the importance of policies aimed at reducing barriers for access to well-paid jobs and employers. 6/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Given that we identify unequal job sorting as the central bottleneck behind the pay disparities, our findings point to the importance of policies aimed at reducing barriers for access to well-paid jobs and employers. 6/9
We find that immigrants from all non-Western origin groups face substantial overall gaps but considerably smaller within-job gaps. The largest gaps are found for immigrants from Sub-Saharan African and MENA countries. For immigrants from Europe and North America, gaps are considerably smaller. 5/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
We find that immigrants from all non-Western origin groups face substantial overall gaps but considerably smaller within-job gaps. The largest gaps are found for immigrants from Sub-Saharan African and MENA countries. For immigrants from Europe and North America, gaps are considerably smaller. 5/9
While the size of overall pay gaps differ notably across destination countries, the qualitative pattern where between-job segregation trumps within-job inequality by a wide margin is found in all countries. In places with data on children of immigrants, we find strong generational progress. 4/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
While the size of overall pay gaps differ notably across destination countries, the qualitative pattern where between-job segregation trumps within-job inequality by a wide margin is found in all countries. In places with data on children of immigrants, we find strong generational progress. 4/9
For the second generation, we find strong economic progress among children of immigrants--where total gaps are less than 6% and within-job pay gaps below 2%. However, the relative contribution of job sorting vs within-job inequality is similar. 3/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
For the second generation, we find strong economic progress among children of immigrants--where total gaps are less than 6% and within-job pay gaps below 2%. However, the relative contribution of job sorting vs within-job inequality is similar. 3/9
On average across all countries, immigrants earn 18% less than natives with similar qualifications in the same local labor market, while the within-job pay gap is less than 5%. Thus, 3/4 of the total gap is due to between-job segregation, with the remaining 1/4 reflecting within-job unequal pay. 2/9
July 16, 2025 at 3:17 PM
On average across all countries, immigrants earn 18% less than natives with similar qualifications in the same local labor market, while the within-job pay gap is less than 5%. Thus, 3/4 of the total gap is due to between-job segregation, with the remaining 1/4 reflecting within-job unequal pay. 2/9
New preprint out with @aleksandermadsen.bsky.social, where we show that later-arriving childhood immigrants have lower earnings, are more likely to enter manual occupations, and are less likely to enter analytical and language-intensive jobs and be employed in high-wage firms as adults.
July 8, 2025 at 12:17 PM
New preprint out with @aleksandermadsen.bsky.social, where we show that later-arriving childhood immigrants have lower earnings, are more likely to enter manual occupations, and are less likely to enter analytical and language-intensive jobs and be employed in high-wage firms as adults.
Children of immigrants access higher-paying, less immigrant-dense workplaces due to shifts in education, occupation, and industry. Our findings reveal a sharp decline in workplace segregation as they advance into the mainstream economy, highlighting the role of assimilation in skill profiles.
November 20, 2024 at 3:13 PM
Children of immigrants access higher-paying, less immigrant-dense workplaces due to shifts in education, occupation, and industry. Our findings reveal a sharp decline in workplace segregation as they advance into the mainstream economy, highlighting the role of assimilation in skill profiles.
Our study identifies key factors driving workplace segregation for both immigrant generations: education, occupation, industry sorting, having an immigrant manager, and the share of immigrant neighbors. Both skill-based sorting and network processes shape immigrant–native workplace segregation.
November 20, 2024 at 3:13 PM
Our study identifies key factors driving workplace segregation for both immigrant generations: education, occupation, industry sorting, having an immigrant manager, and the share of immigrant neighbors. Both skill-based sorting and network processes shape immigrant–native workplace segregation.
We find that immigrants are overrepresented in low-wage workplaces with many with immigrant coworkers, especially from the same country. For children of immigrants, there's a strong convergence toward natives in workplace distribution regarding coworker salaries and immigrant composition.
November 20, 2024 at 3:13 PM
We find that immigrants are overrepresented in low-wage workplaces with many with immigrant coworkers, especially from the same country. For children of immigrants, there's a strong convergence toward natives in workplace distribution regarding coworker salaries and immigrant composition.
We are organizing a new Ph.D. course at the University of Oslo this spring (June 10–13 this year) that aims to provide a broad introduction to research on how organizations and employers contribute to creating or reducing inequality in the workplace.
For more info please see flyer and link below!
For more info please see flyer and link below!
January 29, 2024 at 10:34 AM
We are organizing a new Ph.D. course at the University of Oslo this spring (June 10–13 this year) that aims to provide a broad introduction to research on how organizations and employers contribute to creating or reducing inequality in the workplace.
For more info please see flyer and link below!
For more info please see flyer and link below!