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Public and Private Sector Earnings of Immigrants and the Canadian-Born: Evidence from the Labour Force Survey

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  • Annabella Ansah

    (University of Lethbridge)

  • Richard E. Mueller

    (University of Lethbridge)

Abstract

Using Statistics Canada’s monthly Labour Force Survey master files from January 2006 to December 2018, this paper evaluates the wage differences between immigrants and comparable Canadian-born workers both within the respective levels of the private and public sectors, as well as the public sector wage premium within the immigrant and Canadian-born populations. Using both Ordinary Least Squares and Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition techniques, we find that the immigrant wage gap tends to be negative and is largest in the private sector. The public-sector premium relative to the private sector is also larger for immigrants that for the Canadian-born when we compare wage differences within the two groups. Combined, these results suggest that public sector wages are important to narrowing the overall immigrant wage gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Annabella Ansah & Richard E. Mueller, 2021. "Public and Private Sector Earnings of Immigrants and the Canadian-Born: Evidence from the Labour Force Survey," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 22(4), pages 1403-1429, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:22:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s12134-021-00811-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-021-00811-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sari Pekkala Kerr & William R. Kerr, 2011. "Economic Impacts of Immigration: A Survey," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 24(1), pages 1-32, Spring.
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    9. Feng Hou & Simon Coulombe, 2010. "Earnings Gaps for Canadian-Born Visible Minorities in the Public and Private Sectors," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 36(1), pages 29-43, March.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Aidan Bodner & Leo Ruhl & Emily Barr & Arti Shridhar & Shayna Skakoon-Sparling & Kiffer George Card, 2022. "The Impact of Working from Home on Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study of Canadian Worker’s Mental Health during the Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.

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