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Immigrant Families in the Canadian Labour Market

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  • Christopher Worswick

Abstract

The labour market activity of immigrant and non-immigrant married couples is compared using data from the 1981 and 1991 Canadian Censuses. New evidence is provided on the performance of immigrant men and women in terms of three components of annual earnings: hourly wage rates, hours worked per week, and weeks worked per year. Evidence of intra-family trade-offs of investments in the immigrant husband's career at the expense of investments in the wife's career are not found overall. However, the wife's labour market performance is found to play a major role in the earnings creation of immigrant families. The findings support a family orientation to both the evaluation and the implementation of immigration policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Christopher Worswick, 1996. "Immigrant Families in the Canadian Labour Market," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 22(4), pages 378-396, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:22:y:1996:i:4:p:378-396
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    9. Charles M. Beach & Christopher Worswick, 1993. "Is There a Double-Negative Effect on the Earnings of Immigrant Women?," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 19(1), pages 36-53, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ana Ferrer, 2015. "Are married immigrant women secondary workers?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 119-119, January.
    2. Green, Colin & Kler, Parvinder & Leeves, Gareth, 2007. "Immigrant overeducation: Evidence from recent arrivals to Australia," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(4), pages 420-432, August.
    3. Rashid, Saman, 2004. "Married immigrant women and employment.The role of family investments," Umeå Economic Studies 623, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    4. Sarit Cohen-Goldner & Chemi Gotlibovski & Nava Kahana, 2009. "The role of marriage in immigrants’ human capital investment under liquidity constraints," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 22(4), pages 983-1003, October.
    5. Cohen Goldner, Sarit & Gotlibovski, Chemi & Kahana, Nava, 2009. "A Reevaluation of the Role of Family in Immigrants' Labor Market Activity: Evidence from a Comparison of Single and Married Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 4185, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Yunsun Huh, 2018. "Family typology and gender empowerment: the labour market performance of married immigrants," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 35(3), pages 237-288, September.
    7. Basilio, Leilanie & Bauer, Thomas K. & Sinning, Mathias, 2009. "Analyzing the labor market activity of immigrant families in Germany," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 510-520, October.
    8. Duleep, Harriet & Dowhan, Dan & Liu, Xingfei, 2023. "A Historical Note on the Assimilation Rates of Foreign-Born Women in the U.S," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1221, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    9. Dowling, J. Malcolm & Worswick, Christopher, 1999. "Labor market participation of urban women in Southeast Asia by migration status: Evidence from microdata," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 91-109.
    10. Deborah Cobb-Clark & Thomas F Crossley, "undated". "Gender, Comparative Advantage and Labor Market Activity in Immigrant Families," Canadian International Labour Network Working Papers 46, McMaster University.
    11. Rashid, Saman, 2004. "Immigrants' Income and Family Migration," Umeå Economic Studies 625, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    12. David A. Green & Christopher Worswick, 2017. "Canadian economics research on immigration through the lens of theories of justice," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 50(5), pages 1262-1303, December.
    13. Hou, Feng & Picot, Garnett, 2003. "The Rise in Low-income Rates Among Immigrants in Canada," Analytical Studies Branch Research Paper Series 2003198e, Statistics Canada, Analytical Studies Branch.
    14. Cobb-Clark, Deborah & Crossley, Thomas F., 2004. "Revisiting the family investment hypothesis," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 373-393, June.
    15. Leilanie Basilio & Thomas K. Bauer & Mathias Sinning, 2007. "Analyzing the Labor Market Activity of Immigrant Families in Germany," Ruhr Economic Papers 0024, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    16. Urvashi Dhawan Biswal, 1999. "Testing the Family "Common Preference" Model for Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Women's Labour Supply," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 25(s1), pages 95-114, November.
    17. Duleep, Harriet & Dowhan, Daniel J., 2002. "Revisiting the Family Investment Model with Longitudinal Data: The Earnings Growth of Immigrant and U.S.-Born Women," IZA Discussion Papers 568, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Deborah Cobb-Clark & Marie D. Connolly & Christopher Worswick, 2000. "Does the Family Investment Hypothesis Explain Immigrant Labor Market Activity?," Econometric Society World Congress 2000 Contributed Papers 0828, Econometric Society.
    19. Adserà, Alícia & Ferrer, Ana, 2016. "Occupational skills and labour market progression of married immigrant women in Canada," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 88-98.
    20. repec:zbw:rwirep:0024 is not listed on IDEAS
    21. McDonald, James Ted & Worswick, Christopher, 2013. "Retirement Incomes, Labour Supply and Co-residency Decisions of Older Immigrants in Canada: 1991-2006," CLSSRN working papers clsrn_admin-2013-23, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 29 Apr 2013.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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