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Immigration, Skill Heterogeneity, And Qualification Mismatch

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  • Xiangbo Liu
  • Theodore Palivos
  • Xiaomeng Zhang

Abstract

We investigate the effects of US immigration on native workers in a search and matching environment that allows for skill heterogeneity, differential search cost, cross-skill matching and imperfect transferability of human capital across borders. We find that cross-skill matching benefits the unskilled and hurts the skilled native workers. Similarly, new unskilled immigration benefits the low-skilled native workers and hurts the high-skilled. On the other hand, new skilled immigration benefits both skilled and unskilled natives. Moreover, when we simulate the effects of the actual US immigration influx that took place between the years 2000 and 2009, we find that both skilled and unskilled native workers gain. We also find that initially an improvement in the transferability of human capital benefits the high-skilled natives at the expense of the low-skilled. Nevertheless, below a certain overeducation ratio, further improvements in the transferability of human capital make both types of native workers worse off.
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  • Xiangbo Liu & Theodore Palivos & Xiaomeng Zhang, 2017. "Immigration, Skill Heterogeneity, And Qualification Mismatch," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 55(3), pages 1231-1264, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:55:y:2017:i:3:p:1231-1264
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    6. Cords, Dario, 2017. "Endogenous technology, matching, and labor unions: Does low-skilled immigration affect the technological alignment of the host country?," Hohenheim Discussion Papers in Business, Economics and Social Sciences 20-2017, University of Hohenheim, Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.
    7. Konstantinos Mavrigiannakis & Andreas Vasilatos & Eugenia Vella, 2023. "Fiscal Tightening and Skills Mismatch," DEOS Working Papers 2313, Athens University of Economics and Business.
    8. Guilherme Bandeira & Jordi Caballé & Eugenia Vella, 2018. "Should I stay or should I go? Austerity, unemployment and migration," Working Papers 1839, Banco de España.
    9. Ikhenaode, Bright Isaac & Parello, Carmelo Pierpaolo, 2020. "Immigration and remittances in a two-country model of growth with labor market frictions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 675-692.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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