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Immigration and the Growing Canada-U.S. Productivity Gap

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  • Grady, Patrick

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of immigration on labour productivity in Canada. Immigration is a factor that has been largely ignored in the literature on Canadian productivity growth. A simplified growth accounting approach is utilized to estimate the reduction in labour productivity in Canada (as measured by GDP per worker) that can be attributed to the poor performance of post-1990 cohorts of immigrants in the labour market (as measured by average earnings as reported in the 2006 census). It is estimated that immigration accounts for 2.23 percentage points, or about a fifth, of the 10.96 percentage point post-1990 increase in the Canada-US labour productivity gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Grady, Patrick, 2010. "Immigration and the Growing Canada-U.S. Productivity Gap," MPRA Paper 27454, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:27454
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    File URL: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/27454/1/MPRA_paper_27454.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Abdurrahman Aydemir & George J. Borjas, 2007. "Cross-Country Variation in the Impact of International Migration: Canada, Mexico, and the United States," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 5(4), pages 663-708, June.
    2. Someshwar Rao & Jianmin Tang & Weimin Wang, 2004. "Measuring the Canada-U.S. Productivity Gap: Industry Dimensions," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 9, pages 3-14, Fall.
    3. Giovanni Peri, 2016. "The Effect Of Immigration On Productivity: Evidence From U.S. States," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: The Economics of International Migration, chapter 8, pages 265-275, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    4. Someshwar Rao & Jianmin Tang & Weimin Wang, 2003. "Canada's Recent Productivity Record and Capital Accumulation," International Productivity Monitor, Centre for the Study of Living Standards, vol. 7, pages 24-38, Fall.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    productivity; recent immigrants to Canada; immigration policy; immigrant labour; human capital;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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