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Language-skill complementarity: returns to immigrant language acquisition

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  • Berman, Eli
  • Lang, Kevin
  • Siniver, Erez

Abstract

We examine the effect of language acquisition on the growth of immigrants' earnings. We gathered data on recent Soviet immigrants to Israel that include retrospective questions on earnings and language ability on entry into their current job. Language acquisition is found to interact positively with occupation level. Immigrant programmers and computer technicians have a return to tenure about three percentage points higher than that of natives; improved Hebrew language skills account for between 2/3 and 3/4 of that differential wage growth. In contrast, construction workers and gas station attendants have no convergence of wages to those of natives and language acquisition has no discernible effect on their wages. For these less skilled workers the estimated return' to Hebrew proficiency in the cross-section is entirely due to ability bias. This finding may invite a reinterpretation of other studies on the returns to language acquisition for low wage immigrants.

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Bibliographic Info

Article provided by Elsevier in its journal Labour Economics.

Volume (Year): 10 (2003)
Issue (Month): 3 (June)
Pages: 265-290

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Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:10:y:2003:i:3:p:265-290

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Web page: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/labeco

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  1. McManus, Walter S, 1985. "Labor Market Costs of Language Disparity: An Interpretation of Hispanic Earnings Differences," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 75(4), pages 818-27, September.
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  17. Carliner, Geoffrey, 1980. "Wages, Earnings and Hours of First, Second, and Third Generation American Males," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 18(1), pages 87-102, January.
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