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Language Usage, Participation, Employment and Earnings

Author

Listed:
  • Alisher Aldashev
  • Johannes Gernandt
  • Stephan L. Thomsen

    (Faculty of Economics and Management, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg)

Abstract

Language ability may not only affect the earnings of the individual, but the participation to participate in the labor market or becoming employed as well. It may also affect selection of people into economic sectors and occupation. In this paper the effects of language ability on earnings are analyzed for foreigners in Germany with joint consideration of up to four types of self-selection. The results show that language profciency signifcantly increases participation and employment probability and affects earnings directly. However, when self-selection into economic sectors and occupation is regarded, the direct effects of language ability on earnings vanish.

Suggested Citation

  • Alisher Aldashev & Johannes Gernandt & Stephan L. Thomsen, 2007. "Language Usage, Participation, Employment and Earnings," FEMM Working Papers 07018, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Economics and Management.
    • Handle: RePEc:mag:wpaper:07018
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    File URL: http://www.ww.uni-magdeburg.de/fwwdeka/femm/a2007_Dateien/2007_18.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Cited by:

    1. Kai Ingwersen & Stephan L. Thomsen, 2021. "The immigrant-native wage gap in Germany revisited," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 19(4), pages 825-854, December.
    2. Hangartner, Dominik & Sarvimäki, Matti & Spirig, Judith, 2021. "Managing Refugee Protection Crises: Policy Lessons from Economics and Political Science," IZA Discussion Papers 14821, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Wiedner, Jonas & Giesecke, Johannes, 2022. "Immigrant Men’s Economic Adaptation in Changing Labor Markets: Why Gaps between Turkish and German Men Expanded, 1976–2015," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 56(1), pages 176-205.
    4. Uuriintuya Batsaikhan & Zsolt Darvas & Inês Goncalves Raposo, . "People on the move- migration and mobility in the European Union," Blueprints, Bruegel, number 23874, June.
    5. Alisher Aldashev & Johannes Gernandt & Stephan L. Thomsen, 2008. "The Immigrant Wage Gap in Germany," FEMM Working Papers 08019, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Faculty of Economics and Management.
    6. Aoki, Yu & Santiago, Lualhati, 2018. "Deprivation, Segregation, and Socioeconomic Class of UK Immigrants: Does English Proficiency Matter?," IZA Discussion Papers 11368, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migration; Language Ability; Multiple Selection; Selection Bias; Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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