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Immigrant job search assimilation in Canada

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  • Audra J. Bowlus
  • Masashi Miyairi
  • Chris Robinson

Abstract

Immigrant assimilation is a major issue in many countries. While most of the literature studies assimilation through a human capital framework, we examine the role of job search assimilation. To do so, we estimate an equilibrium search model of immigrants operating in the same labour market as natives, where newly arrived immigrants have lower job offer arrival rates than natives but can acquire the same arrival rates according to a stochastic process. Using Canadian panel data, we find substantial differences in job offer arrival and destruction rates between natives and immigrants that are able to account for three quarters of the observed earnings gap. The estimates imply that immigrants take on average 13 years to acquire the native search parameters. Due to immigrants facing much lower on-the-job offer arrival rates than natives, the model predicts that earnings growth through job search is minimal for immigrants prior to their job search assimilation.

Suggested Citation

  • Audra J. Bowlus & Masashi Miyairi & Chris Robinson, 2016. "Immigrant job search assimilation in Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 49(1), pages 5-51, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:cje:issued:v:49:y:2016:i:1:p:5-51
    DOI: 10.1111/caje.12189
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    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. How do immigrants assimilate in job search?
      by Economic Logician in Economic Logic on 2013-12-06 22:09:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Fang, Tony & Xiao, Na & Zhu, Jane & Hartley, John, 2022. "Employer Attitudes and the Hiring of Immigrants and International Students: Evidence from a Survey of Employers in Canada," IZA Discussion Papers 15226, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Benoit Dostie & Mohsen Javdani, 2020. "Immigrants and Workplace Training: Evidence from Canadian Linked Employer–Employee Data," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(2), pages 275-315, April.
    3. Susumu Imai & Derek Stacey & Casey Warman, 2019. "From engineer to taxi driver? Language proficiency and the occupational skills of immigrants," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 52(3), pages 914-953, August.
    4. Nabanita Datta Gupta & Lene Kromann, 2014. "Differences in the labor market entry of second-generation immigrants and ethnic Danes," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 3(1), pages 1-22, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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    1. Immigrant job search assimilation in Canada (Canadian Journal of Economics 2016) in ReplicationWiki

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