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The Economic Impact of Migration: Productivity Analysis for Spain and the United Kingdom

Author

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  • Mas Ivars Matilde

    (UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA INSTITUTO VALENCIANO DE INVESTIGACIONES ECONÓMICAS (Ivie))

  • Serrano Martínez Lorenzo

    (UNIVERSITY OF VALENCIA INSTITUTO VALENCIANO DE INVESTIGACIONES ECONÓMICAS (Ivie))

  • kangasniemi Mari

    (National Institute of Economic and Social Research)

  • Robinson Catherine

    (National Institute of Economic and Social Research)

Abstract

Increased internationalization over the past twenty years has meant that labor has become increasingly mobile, and while employment and earnings effects have been extensively analyzed in host and source nations, the implications for firm and industry performance have been largely ignored. This working paper explores the direct economic consequences of immigration on host nations' productivity performance at a sectoral level. We consider its impact in two very different European countries, Spain and the United Kingdom (UK). While the UK has traditionally had a substantial inflow of migration, for Spain, the phenomenon is much more recent. The working paper first provides an overview of the role played by immigration on per capita income, highlighting the importance of demographic differences. We then go on to analyze the role of migration on productivity using two different approaches: 1) growth accounting methodology and 2) econometric estimation of a production function. Our findings indicate that migration has had very different implications for Spain and the UK, migrants being more productive than natives in the UK but less productive than natives in Spain. This may in part be a function of different immigration policies, particularly related to the skill requirements on entry, but also in part a feature of the host nations' ability to absorb foreign labor.

Suggested Citation

  • Mas Ivars Matilde & Serrano Martínez Lorenzo & kangasniemi Mari & Robinson Catherine, 2012. "The Economic Impact of Migration: Productivity Analysis for Spain and the United Kingdom," Working Papers 2012114, Fundacion BBVA / BBVA Foundation.
    • Handle: RePEc:fbb:wpaper:2012114
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    Cited by:

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    3. Rosa Sanchis-Guarner, 2014. "First-Come First-Served: Identifying the Demand Effect of Immigration Inflows on House Prices," SERC Discussion Papers 0160, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    4. Deahoon Nahm & Massimiliano Tani, 2015. "Skilled immigrants' contribution to productive efficiency," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(4), pages 594-612, October.
    5. Gui Ye & Yuhe Wang & Yuxin Zhang & Liming Wang & Houli Xie & Yuan Fu & Jian Zuo, 2019. "Impact of Migrant Workers on Total Factor Productivity in Chinese Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, February.
    6. Dr Max Nathan, 2013. "The wider economic impacts of high-skilled migrants: a survey of the literature," National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) Discussion Papers 413, National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
    7. Manuel González Gómez & Mª Soledad Otero Giráldez, 2017. "The causality between economic growth and immigration in EU/EFTA member states," Working Papers 1701, Universidade de Vigo, Departamento de Economía Aplicada.
    8. Xiaoxi Wang & Yaojun Zhang & Danlin Yu & Xiwei Wu & Ding Li, 2022. "Changes in Demographic Factors’ Influence on Regional Productivity Growth: Empirical Evidence from China, 2000–2010," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Amaia Palencia-Esteban, 2022. "Immigration, childcare and gender differences in the Spanish labor market," Working Papers 610, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    10. Paweł Strzelecki & Jakub Growiec & Robert Wyszyński, 2022. "The contribution of immigration from Ukraine to economic growth in Poland," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 158(2), pages 365-399, May.
    11. Saffiah Mohd Nor & Zahariah Sahudin & Geetha Subramaniam, 2023. "The Effects of Health, Labor and Capital towards Labor Productivity in Manufacturing Industries," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 15(1), pages 121-130.
    12. Alessandra Michelangeli & Nicola Pontarollo & Giuseppe Vittucci Marzetti, 2019. "Ethnic minority concentration: A source of productivity growth for Italian provinces?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 98(1), pages 17-34, February.
    13. Clark, Ken & Drinkwater, Stephen & Robinson, Catherine, 2014. "Migration, Economic Crisis and Adjustment in the UK," IZA Discussion Papers 8410, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Wulong Gu & Feng Hou & Garnett Picot, 2020. "Immigration and firm productivity: evidence from the Canadian Employer-Employee Dynamics Database," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 54(2), pages 121-137, December.
    15. Alexandra M. Espinosa & Ignacio Díaz-Emparanza, 2021. "The Long-term Relationship Between International Labour Migration and Unemployment in Spain," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(1), pages 145-166, March.
    16. Alicia Gómez–Tello & Rosella Nicolini, 2017. "Immigration and productivity: a Spanish tale," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 167-183, April.
    17. Giulia Bettin & Alessia Lo Turco & Daniela Maggioni, 2014. "A firm level perspective on migration: the role of extra-EU workers in Italian manufacturing," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 42(3), pages 305-325, December.
    18. Xiaoshi Zhou & Wanglin Ma & Gucheng Li, 2018. "Draft Animals, Farm Machines and Sustainable Agricultural Production: Insight from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, August.
    19. Baldoni, Edoardo & Coderoni, Silvia & Esposti, Roberto, 2018. "Immigrant workforce and labour productivity in Italian agriculture: a farm-level analysis," Bio-based and Applied Economics Journal, Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economics (AIEAA), vol. 6(3), May.
    20. Daniel Rauhut & Birgit Aigner-Walder & Rahel M. Schomaker, 2023. "Economic Theory and Migration," Springer Books, in: The Economics of Immigration Beyond the Cities, chapter 0, pages 21-50, Springer.
    21. Matilde Mas & Carlo Milana & Lorenzo Serrano, 2012. "Spain and Italy: Catching-up and Falling Behind – Two Different Tales of Productivity Slowdown," Chapters, in: Matilde Mas & Robert Stehrer (ed.), Industrial Productivity in Europe, chapter 6, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    22. Jabbar, J. B., 2017. "The impact of migrant labors on Russian economy: production function approach," R-Economy, Ural Federal University, Graduate School of Economics and Management, vol. 3(2), pages 90-102.
    23. Miguel Benítez Rueda, 2022. "Migración venezolana y productividad laboral en Colombia," Coyuntura Económica, Fedesarrollo, vol. 52, pages 35-64, December.
    24. Mariachiara Barzotto & Giancarlo Corò & Ilaria Mariotti & Marco Mutinelli, 2019. "Ownership and workforce composition: a counterfactual analysis of foreign multinationals and Italian uni-national firms," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 46(4), pages 581-607, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migration; productivity; industries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General

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