Policy brief

Born in overseas France regions: fewer opportunities than in other regions of France

People born in the French West Indies regions and the Réunion island suffer from a significant disadvantage in terms of educational and professional opportunities compared with people born in mainland France, even when coming from regions with fewer opportunities. With a comparable social background, the chances of obtaining a higher education qualification are 20% to 25% lower for natives of these regions, the chances of finding a job are around 12% lower, and the odds of holding a managerial position are 35% to 45% lower. This very marked penalty compared with mainland France's regions can also be appreciated when the analysis is restricted to individuals from low-income or very low-income social backgrounds, for whom the differences in educational and professional success between mainland France's regions are more pronounced.

Published on : 02/05/2024

Temps de lecture

2 minutes

There is a considerable gap in terms of career opportunities between people who moved (a quarter of Réunion island natives, almost 40% for people born in the French West Indies regions) and those who stayed in the French overseas territories and territories. While this link between inter-regional mobility and greater opportunities is also found in mainland France, the differential between mobile and non-mobile individuals is particularly marked in overseas France. This can be explained by a twofold penalty for the sedentary: a lower level of qualification (selection effect), but also, for the same level of educational qualification, a gap in career opportunities, particularly in the French West Indies departments.

On the other hand, native-born people who have moved to mainland France tend on average to be in a comparable situation to those from mainland France. With a comparable social background, native-born people who have migrated to mainland France are almost as likely to hold post-secondary degree as those from mainland France, and even have a slightly higher employment rate. However, the situation is more contrasted when it concerns access to executive status: while there is almost no difference between those from mainland France and those from Réunion island who have settled in mainland France with a comparable social background, those from the French West Indies regions who moved to mainland France still have a 30% lower rate for access to executive status.

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