Abstract:

The so-called Digital Divide is equally mediated by economic (e.g. income, occupational status or the segmentation in labor market) and social factors (e.g. gender, age, belonging an ethnic minority, education and skills) that determine the individual position in the current postindustrial societies. In this work, using data from the European Social Survey (2002-2008), it is studied the relationship between the skill level and the dual position in labor market (insider vs. outsider) and its impact on the immigrants’ Internet usage in Europe. This study is aimed to explain the differences on Internet usage in the EU that are related to the position that groups in risk of social exclusion occupies in the labor market (insider/outsider) and its level of skills (high/low). Cross-country differences are analyzed by multilevel analysis techniques. The findings show the importance of skills and the labor market position for the social inclusion of socially excluded groups. This study contributes to explain the digital polarization and the enlargement of the Digital Divide, even in advanced societies.

Keywords:

Digital Divide, social exclusion, labor market segmentation, net usage, skills, ICT.