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Does Skin Tone Matter? Immigrant Mobility in the U.S. Labor Market

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  • JooHee Han

    (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign)

Abstract

A rich literature has documented the negative association between dark skin tone and many dimensions of U.S.-born Americans’ life chances. Despite the importance of both skin tone and immigration in the American experience, few studies have explored the effect of skin tone on immigrant assimilation longitudinally. I analyze data from the New Immigrant Survey (NIS) 2003 to examine how skin tone is associated with occupational achievement at three time points: the last job held abroad, the first job held in the United States, and the current job. Dark-skinned immigrants experience steeper downward mobility at arrival in the United States and slower subsequent upward mobility relative to light-skinned immigrants, net of human and social capital, race/ethnicity, country of origin, visa type, and demographics. These findings shed light on multiple current literatures, including segmented assimilation theory, the multidimensionality of race, and the U.S. racial hierarchy.

Suggested Citation

  • JooHee Han, 2020. "Does Skin Tone Matter? Immigrant Mobility in the U.S. Labor Market," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 57(2), pages 705-726, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:57:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s13524-020-00867-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-020-00867-7
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    2. Jennifer Tabler & Matthew Painter, 2023. "Skin Tone, Racial/Ethnic, and Gender Differences in Self-Reported Mental and Physical Health among U.S. Lawful Permanent Resident Immigrants," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 249-269, March.
    3. Catron, Peter & Loria, Maria Vignau, 2021. "The Economic Attainment of Mexican Refugees during the Age of Mass Migration," SocArXiv qgj3p, Center for Open Science.
    4. Hersch, Joni, 2024. "Colorism and Immigrant Earnings in the United States, 2015–2024," IZA Discussion Papers 17397, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Búi K Petersen & James Chowhan & Gordon B Cooke & Ray Gosine & Peter J Warrian, 2023. "Automation and the future of work: An intersectional study of the role of human capital, income, gender and visible minority status," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 44(3), pages 703-727, August.

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