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How do immigrants spend their time? The process of assimilation

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  • Daniel Hamermesh
  • Stephen Trejo

Abstract

Sharp differences in time use by nativity emerge when activities are distinguished by incidence and intensity in recent US data. A model with daily fixed costs for assimilating activities predicts that immigrants are less likely than natives to undertake such activities on a given day; but those who do will spend relatively more time on them. Activities such as purchasing, education, and market work conform to the model. Other results suggest that fixed costs for assimilating activities are higher for immigrants with poor English proficiency or who originate in less developed countries. An analysis of comparable Australian data yields similar results. Copyright Springer-Verlag 2013

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  • Daniel Hamermesh & Stephen Trejo, 2013. "How do immigrants spend their time? The process of assimilation," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 26(2), pages 507-530, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:26:y:2013:i:2:p:507-530
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-012-0440-x
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    5. David C. Ribar, 2013. "Immigrants’ time use: a survey of methods and evidence," Chapters, in: Amelie F. Constant & Klaus F. Zimmermann (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, chapter 20, pages 373-392, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Nicola Daniele Coniglio & Rezart Hoxhaj & Hubert Jayet, 2019. "On the road to integration? Immigrants’ demand for informal (& formal) education," SERIES 01-2019, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised May 2019.
    7. Antonio Caparrós Ruiz, 2017. "Foreign Workers’ Time Use in Spain: Evidence from the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 159-182, February.
    8. Chuangxin Zhao & Manping Tang, 2022. "Research on the Influence of Labor Contract on the Urban Integration of Migrant Workers: Empirical Analysis Based on China’s Micro Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-19, September.
    9. Anzelika Zaiceva & Klaus Zimmermann, 2014. "Children, Kitchen, Church: does ethnicity matter?," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 83-103, March.
    10. Zaiceva, Anzelika, 2022. "Multitasking," IZA Discussion Papers 15681, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Lena Lipskaya-Velikovsky, 2021. "COVID-19 Isolation in Healthy Population in Israel: Challenges in Daily Life, Mental Health, Resilience, and Quality of Life," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-16, January.
    12. Nicola Daniele Coniglio & Rezart Hoxhaj & Huber Jayet, 2023. "The most precious resource: time allocation of immigrants in the U.S," EGEIWP 02-2023, Dipartimento di Economia e Finanza - Università degli Studi di Bari "Aldo Moro", revised Dec 2023.
    13. Lisa Sofie Höckel, 2024. "Language lesson learned—foreign-origin teachers and their effect on students’ language skills," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(2), pages 1-32, June.
    14. Holger Stichnoth, 2013. "Reference standards for income comparisons: evidence from immigrants' return visits," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 33(4), pages 2707-2717.
    15. Tianyuan Luo & Cesar L Escalante, 2017. "US farm workers: What drives their job retention and work time allocation decisions?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 28(2), pages 270-293, June.
    16. Coniglio, Nicola Daniele & Hoxhaj, Rezart & Lagravinese, Raffaele, 2023. "Crossing Boundaries and Time: An Exploration of Time Allocation, Emotional Well-Being of Immigrants in the United States," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1306, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    17. Zhongyou Yuan & Chenchen Fu & Shujie Kong & Jifeng Du & Wei Li, 2022. "Citizenship Ability, Homestead Utility, and Rural Homestead Transfer of “Amphibious” Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-15, February.
    18. Tanja Fendel, 2021. "The Effect of Housework on Wages: A Study of Migrants and Native-Born Individuals in Germany," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 473-488, September.
    19. Yuying Yang & Duanyang Gao & Rui Li & Hui Du, 2023. "The Impact of Basic Public Health Services on Migrant Peasant Workers’ Urban Integration: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-16, January.
    20. NEYMOTIN Florence & JONES J. Preston, 2018. "Showing Up After The Storm: Our “Fickle” Bleeding Heart?," Studies in Business and Economics, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 13(3), pages 118-134, December.
    21. Zaiceva-Razzolini, Anzelika, 2022. "Multitasking," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1173, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    22. Anzelika Zaiceva & Klaus Zimmermann, 2011. "Do ethnic minorities “stretch” their time? UK household evidence on multitasking," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 181-206, June.
    23. Zaiceva, A., 2022. "Multitasking," MERIT Working Papers 2022-031, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Time use; Fixed costs; Incidence; Intensity; J11; J16;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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