Full Citation

Title: Selection and Assimilation of Mexican Immigrants: New versus Traditional Destinations

Citation Type: Conference Paper

Publication Year: 2012

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Abstract: We study the selection and earnings assimilation of Mexican immigrants in theirtraditional and newer destinations. Our analysis shows that during 2001-2009, recently arrived Mexican men living in the newer destinations were two percentage points more likely to be employed, 10 percentage points (38%) more likely to be working in construction, and had a 4 to 5% higher average wage than recently arrived Mexican men in the traditional destinations. Recently arrived Mexican women were four percentage points more likely to be employed in the newer destinations, but their wages were statistically the same as those of recently arrived Mexican women at the traditional destinations. Longitudinal analysis shows that during the study period the real wage of Mexican immigrants at traditional destinations increased 1-2% a year; wage growth of Mexicans at the newer destinations was mostly statistically insignificant.Mexicans in the traditional destinations also exhibited greater residential stability: internal migration, non-follow up in the longitudinal data and predicted return migration were higher among immigrants at the newer destinations than among immigrants at the traditionaldestinations. Predicted return migration was also found to be selective on past earnings among men, but not among women. For men, a 10 percentage point increase in predicted probability of return migration was associated with a 0.3 to 0.5% lower wage in the year prior to return.

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Authors: Shang, Ce; Kaushal, Neeraj

Conference Name: Population Association of America

Publisher Location: San Francisco, CA

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Migration and Immigration, Other

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