Zusammenfassung: Der deutsche Ausbildungsabschluss gilt als Garant für den Zugang zu Beschäftigung und insbesondere zu qualifizierten beruflichen Tätigkeiten. Gilt dies auch für junge Ausländer, die in Deutschland eine Ausbildung abgeschlossen haben? Haben sie durch einen Ausbildungsabschluss die gleichen Beschäftigungschancen wie deutsche Ausbildungsabsolventen? Diese Fragen werden in dem Beitrag mit Hilfe von Mikrozensusdaten empirisch untersucht. Wir vergleichen die Arbeitsmarktchancen von Ausgebildeten und Ausbildungslosen verschiedener ethnischer Gruppen und prüfen, inwieweit ethnische Benachteiligungen durch Ausbildungsabschlüsse an Bedeutung verlieren. Im Sinne des „Integrationsauftrags“ des deutschen Ausbildungssystems sollte der Ausbildungsabschluss für Ausländer zu den gleichen Arbeitsmarktchancen führen wie für Deutsche. Wie unsere Analysen allerdings zeigen, haben insbesondere türkische Ausbildungsabsolventen dennoch schlechtere Arbeitsmarktchancen. Dies spricht für einen „ethnisierten“ Signalwert eines Ausbildungsabschlusses.

Urban systems, and regions more generally, are the epicenters of many of today’s social issues. Yet they are also the global drivers of technological innovation, and thus it is critical that we understand their vulnerabilities and what makes them resilient to different types of shocks. We take regions to be systems composed of internal networks of interdependent components. As the connectedness of those networks increases, it allows information and resources to move more rapidly within a region. Yet, it also increases the speed and efficiency at which the effects of shocks cascade through the system. Here we analyzed regional networks of interdependent industries and how their structures relate to a region’s vulnerability to shocks. Methodologically, we utilized a metric of economic connectedness called tightness which quantifies a region’s internal connectedness relative to other regions. We calculated tightness for German regions during the Great Recession, comparing it to each region’s economic performance during the shock (2007–2009) and during recovery (2009–2011). We find that tightness is negatively correlated with changes in economic performance during the shock but positively during recovery. This suggests that regional economic planners face a tradeoff between being more productive or being more vulnerable to the next economic shock.

Based on the Integrated Employment Biographies data (IEB) of the Institute for Employment Research, the study compares the transition patterns after completion of vocational training in craft trades and in other sectors of economic activity. According to Soskice (1994) and Steedman (1993), dual training in the craft sector exhibits some distinctive features that can be expected to increase the risk of non-smooth transitions and to inhibit labor market integration of its apprentices. The analysis shows that currently almost all apprentices manage to enter regular employment within one year after graduation. However, apprenticeship graduates from craft trades are more likely to be affected by temporary unemployment. Additionally, the wage disadvantages associated with a job change are significantly higher in craft trades than in other occupations. Further analysis reveals that these average effects mask large differences at the occupational level. We conclude, that future research should draw more attention to transition risks on occupational rather than on sectoral level.