Working Paper: NBER ID: w17609
Authors: Ethan G. Lewis
Abstract: Wage evidence suggests that immigrant workers are imperfectly substitutable for native-born workers with similar education and experience. Using U.S. Censuses and recent American Community Survey data, I ask to what extent differences in language skills drive this. I find they are important. I estimate that the response of immigrants' relative wages to immigration is concentrated among immigrants with poor English skills. Similarly, immigrants who arrive at young ages, as adults, both have stronger English skills and exhibit greater substitutability for native-born workers than immigrants who arrive older. In U.S. markets where Spanish speakers are concentrated, I find a "Spanish-speaking" labor market emerges: in such markets, the return to speaking English is low, and the wages of Spanish and non-Spanish speakers respond most strongly to skill ratios in their own language group. Finally, in Puerto Rico, where almost all workers speak Spanish, I find immigrants and natives are perfect substitutes. The implications for immigrant poverty and regional settlement patterns are analyzed.
Keywords: immigration; language skills; wages; substitutability; poverty
JEL Codes: J24; J31; J61
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Poor English skills (F66) | Decline in wages relative to natives (F66) |
| Strong English skills (G53) | Decline in wages relative to natives (F66) |
| Age at arrival (J11) | English proficiency (I25) |
| English proficiency (I25) | Substitutability of immigrant workers (J69) |
| Immigrants and natives (J69) | Perfect substitutes in Puerto Rico (H49) |