Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/55061 
Year of Publication: 
2011
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 5964
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Over the last several decades, two of the most significant developments in the U.S. labor market have been: (1) rising inequality, and (2) growth in both the size and the diversity of immigration flows. Because a large share of new immigrants arrive with very low levels of schooling, English proficiency, and other skills that have become increasingly important determinants of success in the U.S. labor market, an obvious concern is that such immigrants are a poor fit for the restructured American economy. In this chapter, we evaluate this concern by discussing evidence for the United States on three relevant topics: the labor market integration of immigrants, the socioeconomic attainment of the U.S.-born descendants of immigrants, and the impact of immigration on the wages and employment opportunities of native workers. We show that low-skilled immigrants have little trouble finding paid employment and that the wages they earn are commensurate with their skills. Overall, the U.S.-born second generation has achieved economic parity with mainstream society; for some Hispanic groups, however, this is not the case. Finally, we survey the pertinent academic literature and conclude that, on the whole, immigration to the United States has not had large adverse consequences for the labor market opportunities of native workers.
Subjects: 
immigrant labor
assimilation
generational progress
JEL: 
J61
J62
J68
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Document Type: 
Working Paper

Files in This Item:
File
Size
697.99 kB





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.