Doubly disadvantaged? Gender, informal job search, and labor market outcomes among South Korea's immigrant workers

Abstract

This research investigates the gendered labor market consequences of immigrant social networks. Based on a nationally representative sample and using alternative analytic strategies, the present study investigates how and the extent to which informal job search, that is, finding a job through a personal contact, is associated with the earnings outcome for male and female immigrant workers in South Korea. Unlike most previous studies, it distinguishes between job contact sources: bonding and bridging. Contrary to the notion that immigrant women are 'doubly disadvantaged' in the labor market, findings indicate that informal job search yields lower monthly income for male workers only. In addition, significant evidence suggests that for the male subsample, securing a job through a bonding (co-ethnic) tie results in an earnings penalty. Negative income returns on using a bridging (inter-ethnic) tie, on the other hand, receive conditional empirical support.