Abstract

Since 2016, Spain has consistently ranked as the European Union Member State with the second highest annual inflow of immigrants. Almost 40 % of them are aged between twenty and thirty-five years old. Spanish society therefore faces the challenge of helping immigrants enter the labour market. This study analyses how the income gap between natives and first-generation immigrants varies according to their education level, differentiating between EU and non-EU nationals. The data were obtained from the Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida (Living Conditions Survey) conducted by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) (Spanish National Statistics Institute) for the years 2019 and 2023. After applying the Oaxaca -Blinder methodology to the data, it was found that an increase in educational attainment was associated with a wider income gap. These are new findings, as no similar research has been conducted in Spain.

Reference 

Baeza-Cabrera, Rubén; Mediavilla, Mauro (2026). «La brecha de rentas entre nativos e inmigrantes en España según su nivel educativo». Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 194: 5-24. (doi: 10.5477/cis/reis.194.5-24)

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