Immigration, Search and Loss of Skill

Robert M. Sauer, Yoram Weiss

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

325 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This article develops and estimates an on-the-job search model of the entry of highly skilled immigrants from the former Soviet Union into the Israeli labor market. The estimated parameters of the model, together with information on the wages of immigrants from earlier waves, imply that, on average, immigrants can expect lifetime earnings to fall short of the lifetime earnings of comparable natives by 57%. Of this figure, 14 percentage points reflect frictions associated with non-employment and job distribution mismatch, and 43 percentage points reflect the gradual adaptation of imported schooling and experience to the local labor market.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)557-592
Number of pages36
JournalJournal of Labor Economics
Volume21
Issue number3
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2003

Cite this