Working Paper: NBER ID: w4866
Authors: George J. Borjas
Abstract: This paper uses the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Public Use Samples of the U.S. Census to document what happened to immigrant earnings in the 1980s, and to determine if pre-1980 immigrant flows reached earnings parity with natives. The relative entry wage of successive immigrant cohorts declined by 9 percent in the 1970s, and by an additional 6 percent in the 1980s. Although the relative wage of immigrants grows by 10 percent during the first two decades after arrival, the relative wage of post-1970 immigrants will remain 15 to 20 percent below those of natives throughout much of their working lives.
Keywords: Immigration; Earnings; Cohort Analysis
JEL Codes: J61; J31
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Immigrant cohort arrival years (J11) | Subsequent earnings relative to native workers (J39) |
| Successive immigrant cohorts (J11) | Relative wages (J31) |
| Immigrant cohorts arriving in the 1980s (J11) | Wage parity with natives (J39) |
| Relative wage growth of immigrants (J69) | Earnings gap with natives (J79) |
| Age-adjusted wage differentials (J31) | Wage gap between immigrants and natives (J69) |