Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/67210 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 6957
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This article uses micro-data from the Spanish National Immigrant Survey to investigate the impact of Spanish language proficiency on immigrants' earnings. The results, based on Instrumental Variables (IV), point to a substantial earnings return to Spanish proficiency, of approximately 27%. This figure varies largely across educational groups, with high-qualified workers earning a premium of almost 50%. This conspicuous complementarity between formal qualifications and language skills poses a challenge for traditional language training policies, for these typically neglect the immigrants' heterogeneous educational background.
Subjects: 
immigration
Spanish language proficiency
earnings
instrumental variables
JEL: 
F22
J24
J61
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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