Beyond the complementarity postulate how immigration challenges the sustainability of the Italian accumulation regime

The European migration regime has traditionally been based on the temporary labour model. Coherently with the processes of social construction of migrants’ role, this model has encouraged migrants’ ‘‘natural’’ concentration in the lowest ranks of the professional hierarchy, which, in turn, has produced a condition of structural disadvantage, often transmitted to the second generation. Despite the significant efforts made towards the inclusion and equalization of migrants and their offspring, migrants’ participation in the labour market continues to mirror a model of subordinate incorporation. The latter, in turn, is consistent with many phenomena typical of current accumulation regimes, which have implied general degradation of working and salary conditions. The Italian experience is emblematic, as proven by many indicators that show a tendency towards the ethno-stratification of the labour market and the society. All these phenomena make migrants’ condition paradigmatic with regard to the sustainability of the current accumulation regime.