Ethnic Group Mobility in the Israeli Labor Market

Abstract

In the present study we address the issue of ethnic-group occupational mobility. Utilizing data on the Israeli labor force for the years 1969 and 1982 we examine changes in the occupational distribution of four distinct groups: Jews of European/American origin, Jews of AsianlAfrican origin, Israeli Arabs, and non-citizen Arabs from the West Bank and the Gaza District. Longlinear analysis is employed to distinguish between structural and compositional sources of group mobility. Our findings indicate that changes in the ethnicity-occupation relationship that took place over time were more strongly related to structural shifts than to compositional changes in the laborforce. Analysis at the occupational level revealed considerable variation in ethnic mobility within and outside of occupations. Specifically, superordinate groups benefitted more from the structural and compositional changes than did other groups. While occupational differentiation between Asian/African Jews and European/American Jews did not change, differentiation between Jews and Arabs increased. These findings are discussed in light of sociological theories of mobility and ethnic organization of the labor market.