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Economic Integration of Pre-WWI Immigrants from the British Isles in the Canadian Labour Market

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  • Jason Dean

    (McGill University & Sheridan College)

  • Maryam Dilmaghani

    (Saint Mary’s University)

Abstract

This article provides new evidence on the economic assimilation of immigrants from the British Isles in Canada during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Using data from the 1901 and 1911 censuses and a pseudo-cohort methodology, we estimate both entry and assimilation effects. We find a non-negligible decline in entry earnings among successive cohorts of British and Irish immigrants, previously overlooked in the literature. Our estimates also reveal that the economic performance for Irish and older British arrival cohorts was better than previously reported. Overall, slow economic assimilation and sparse occupational mobility of immigrants have been a long-standing issue in the Canadian labour market.

Suggested Citation

  • Jason Dean & Maryam Dilmaghani, 2016. "Economic Integration of Pre-WWI Immigrants from the British Isles in the Canadian Labour Market," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 55-76, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:joimai:v:17:y:2016:i:1:d:10.1007_s12134-014-0399-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s12134-014-0399-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Ran Abramitzky & Leah Boustan, 2017. "Immigration in American Economic History," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 55(4), pages 1311-1345, December.
    2. Gillian C. Hamilton & Ian Keay & Frank D. Lewis, 2017. "Contributions to Canadian economic history: The last 30 years," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1632-1657, December.
    3. Kris Inwood & Chris Minns & Fraser Summerfield, 2016. "Reverse assimilation? Immigrants in the Canadian labour market during the Great Depression," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 20(3), pages 299-321.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Immigration; Economic assimilation; Pseudo-cohort approach; British; Irish;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • B0 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - General

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