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Changes in the Relative Economic Performance of Immigrants to Great Britain and the United States, 1980–2000
Author(s) -
Schmitt John,
Wadsworth Jonathan
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of industrial relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.665
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1467-8543
pISSN - 0007-1080
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-8543.2007.00646.x
Subject(s) - immigration , wage , differential (mechanical device) , economics , demographic economics , labour economics , relative price , geography , archaeology , aerospace engineering , engineering , microeconomics
We compare the relative labour market performance of immigrants in the USA and in Britain over the period 1980–2000, when the stocks of immigrants were rising in both countries alongside differential shifts in demand and changes to labour market institutions. We find that the average relative employment prospects of immigrants are generally better in the USA than in Britain, particularly for non‐white immigrants, while the average relative wage prospects for immigrants are generally better in Britain, particularly for men. Over time, relative wage and employment prospects for immigrants to the USA appear to have deteriorated, particularly among women, in a way that is not as apparent in Britain.