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Title: Economic Assimilation of Low-Skilled Immigrants in the United States: Evidence from Mexican and Central Americans
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2019
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Abstract: Using US data data spanning the period between 1970 and 2017, we analyze the economic assimilation of subsequent arrival cohorts of Mexican and Central American immigrants, the more economically disadvantaged group of immigrants. We compare the wage and employment gap and growth relative to similar natives across various cohorts of entry. We find that all cohorts started with a significant earning disadvantage relative to the average US native and eliminated 1/3 of it mainly in the 10-20 years after entry. We also find that when comparing them with similarly educated natives, the gap is much smaller and that recent cohorts, arriving after 1995, did not do worse, but better, than earlier cohorts. We also find that Mexicans and Central Americans in the construction sector and in urban areas did better in terms of gap and convergence than others. Finally, also for other immigrant groups, such as Chinese and Indians, recent cohorts did well relative to previous ones.
Url: https://www.zachrutledge.com/uploads/1/2/5/6/125679559/economic_assimilation.pdf
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Authors: Peri, Giovanni; Rutledge, Zachariah
Publisher: University of California, Davis
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity
Countries: United States