Can Differing Occupational Class Positions Explain Migrant Health Inequalities? Differences in Trajectories of Subjective Health Between Migrants and Native Germans over Time

Abstract

Migrants living in postindustrial countries are confronted with various socioeconomic challenges, including lower incomes, extended working hours, and lower occupational statuses than natives. Although health disparities linked to occupational positions have frequently been documented, they remain a relatively unexplored factor in the explanation of health gaps over time between migrants and native populations. To address this issue, we utilized longitudinal data spanning from 2002 to 2018 from the German Socio-Economic Panel to investigate disparities in physical health–related quality of life across different migrant and native German cohorts and their associations with occupational class position. Our findings reveal that overall lower occupational class positions can account for the health disparities observed between migrants and native Germans. Further, our study unveils complex relationships between initial health conditions (intercepts), changes in health over time (slopes), region of origin (European migrants, non-European migrants, and native Germans), and gender. These nuanced outcomes underscore the importance of adopting approaches that consider both region of origin and gender when seeking to enhance working conditions and facilitate access to the labor market for diverse populations.