The immigration of workers from the Maghreb is more than a century old, and was at the beginning determined by the French colonial policies in the Maghreb. At the end of the 19th century, the immigration was directly organised by the employers and/or by the French state in order to provide for the need of unqualified labour in the periods of great economic growth. The main sectors of activity were the building industry, mines, industry and agriculture. The labour of migrant workers from the Maghreb is a structural element of the French economy. Since the 1980s women of Maghrebin origin are appearing on the labour market, and the jobs are changing from the primary and secondary industry to the tertiary industry. The young people of the second generation enjoy more diversified employment while some of then now benefit from greater social mobility. -English summary

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industrial sector African labour Africa Maghreb France labour migration immigration migration