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Title: The Effect of Niche Occupations on Standard of Living: A Closer Look at Chinese, Filipino, and Asian Indian Immigrants

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2011

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Abstract: The trends in immigration to the United States are astonishing to consider. As of 2009 there were 1,130,818 persons whom received legal permanent residential status in the United States. This number compared to the 448,000 at the turn of the 20th century shows the drastic change that has occurred on the immigration front (DHS, 2010). Over the past century the United States has seen a shift not only in the number of immigrants arriving at the borders, but also a shift in the skill level of the immigrant. In 2009 the largest immigrant group was from Mexico followed by China, the Philippines, and India respectively (DHS, 2010). The three later groups make up an immigrant population that often comes to the United States with a skill set that can be used in a particular occupation. These are high achieving immigrants who often seek professional occupations in the United States labor market. Immigrationstatistics show that Chinese most commonly enter finance,business, or management positions (15.6% of Chinese immigrants in these positions), Filipinos enter healthcaresupport (14.8% of Filipino immigrants in these positions), and Asian Indians enter information technology positions (22.6% of Indian immigrants in these positions) in the U.S. labor market (MPI, 2010).This study aims to examine Chinese, Filipino, and Asian Indian immigrants who were part of the U.S. labor force in 2009. The goal of this research is to identify the variables which most accurately influence the standard of living among these three groups once they are a part of U.S. labor market. I hypothesize that those immigrants who receive work in their ethnic niche occupations will have higher standards of living than those who do not work in the niche occupations. This study will focus narrowly on ethnic groups that come to the United States with relatively high levels of educational attainment. While manyresearchers have focused on immigration collectively, thisresearch will add to existing literature by focusing narrowly on these three unique immigrant groups: Chinese, Filipino, and Asian Indians; and their associated standards of living in relation to occupation. I hypothesize that those immigrants who work in their ethnic niche occupations will have higher standards of living, ceteris paribus, than immigrants who do not.

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Authors: Maynard, Paige

Periodical (Full): The Park Place Economist

Issue: 1

Volume: 19

Pages:

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Migration and Immigration, Race and Ethnicity

Countries: