Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market

by Abowd, John M.; Freeman, Richard B.

• ISBN13: 9780226000954
• ISBN10: 0226000958
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1991-06-18
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Are immigrants squeezing Americans out of the work force? Or is competition wth foreign products imported by the United States an even greater danger to those employed in some industries? How do wages and unions fare in foreign-owned firms? And are the media's claims about the number of illegal immigrants misleading? Prompted by the growing internationalization of the U.S. labor market since the 1970s, contributors to Immigration, Trade, and the Labor Market provide an innovative and comprehensive analysis of the labor market impact of the international movements of people, goods, and capital. Their provocative findings are brought into perspective by studies of two other major immigrant-recipient countries, Canada and Australia. The differing experiences of each nation stress the degree to which labor market institutions and economic policies can condition the effect of immigration and trade on economic outcomes Contributors trace the flow of immigrants by comparing the labor market and migration behavior of individual immigrants, explore the effects of immigration on wages and employment by comparing the composition of the work force in local labor markets, and analyze the impact of trade on labor markets in different industries. A unique data set was developed especially for this study--ranging from an effort to link exports/imports with wages and employment in manufacturing industries, to a survey of illegal Mexican immigrants in the San Diego area--which will prove enormously valuable for future research.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction and Summary

Immigration Flows and Performance in the United States

Immigration and Self-Selection

Undocumented Mexican-born Workers in the United States: How Many, How Permanent?

The Effect of Policy Restrictions on Capital and Labor Flows in Mexico

Internal Migration of U.S. Immigrants

Migration, Ethnicity, and Labor Force Activity

Impact of Immigration, Trade, and Capital Flows on the U.S. Labor Market

Labor Market Adjustments to Increased Immigration

The Effects of Immigration on the Labor Market Outcomes of Less-skilled Natives

Industrial Wage and Employment Determination in an Open Economy

Foreign-Owned Businesses in the United States

Immigration, International Trade, and the Wages of Native Workers

Immigrants, Labor Market Pressures, and the Composition of the Aggregate Demand

Comparative Experiences: Canada and Australia

An Analysis of the Earnings of Canadian Immigrants

The Effects of International Competition on Collective Bargaining Outcomes: A Comparison of the United States and Canada

Male Immigrant Wage and Unemployment Experience in Australia

Why are Low-skilled Immigrants in the United States Poorly Paid Relative to Their Australian Counterparts?

Some of the Issues Illustrated in the Context of the Footwear, Clothing, and Textile Industries

Appendix: The NBER Immigration, Trade, and Labor Markets Data Files

List of Contributors

Author Index

Subject Index

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