Premium
The impact of E‐Verify mandates on labor market outcomes
Author(s) -
Orrenius Pia M.,
Zavodny Madeline
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
southern economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 2325-8012
pISSN - 0038-4038
DOI - 10.1002/soej.12023
Subject(s) - immigration , earnings , current population survey , government (linguistics) , demographic economics , work (physics) , population , affect (linguistics) , business , labour economics , economics , political science , demography , law , psychology , sociology , finance , mechanical engineering , linguistics , philosophy , communication , engineering
A number of states have adopted laws that require employers to use the federal government's E‐Verify program to check workers' eligibility to work legally in the United States. Using data from the Current Population Survey, this study examines whether such laws affect labor market outcomes among Mexican immigrants who are likely to be unauthorized. We find evidence that E‐Verify mandates reduce average hourly earnings among likely unauthorized male Mexican immigrants while increasing labor force participation among likely unauthorized female Mexican immigrants. Furthermore, the mandates appear to lead to better labor market outcomes among workers likely to compete with unauthorized immigrants. Employment rises among male Mexican immigrants who are naturalized citizens in states that adopt E‐Verify mandates, and earnings rise among U.S.‐born Hispanic men. There is no evidence of significant effects among U.S.‐born non‐Hispanic whites.