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The Composition of Wage Differentials between Migrants and Natives

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  • Panagiotis Nanos
  • Christian Schluter

Abstract

We consider the role of unobservables, such as differences in search frictions, reservation wages, and productivities for the explanation of wage differentials between migrants and natives. We disentangle these by estimating an empirical general equilibrium search model with on-the-job search due to Bontemps, Robin, and van den Berg (1999) on segments of the labour market defined by occupation, age, and nationality using a large scale German administrative dataset. The native-migrant wage differential is then decomposed into several parts, and we focus especially on the component that we label "migrant effect", being the difference in wage offers between natives and migrants in the same occupation-age segment in firms of the same productivity. Counterfactual decompositions of wage differentials allow us to identify and quantify their drivers, thus explaining within a common framework what is often labelled the unexplained wage gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Panagiotis Nanos & Christian Schluter, 2013. "The Composition of Wage Differentials between Migrants and Natives," Papers 1306.1781, arXiv.org, revised Oct 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:1306.1781
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    7. Eva Moreno‐Galbis & Jeremy Tanguy & Ahmed Tritah & Catherine Laffineur, 2019. "Immigrants’ Wage Performance in a Routine Biased Technological Change Era: France 1994–2012," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(4), pages 623-673, October.
    8. Zainab Iftikhar & Anna Zaharieva, 2019. "General equilibrium effects of immigration in Germany: Search and matching approach," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 31, pages 245-276, January.
    9. Galbis, Eva Moreno, 2020. "Differences in work conditions between natives and immigrants: preferences vs. outside employment opportunities," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    10. Busch, Christopher & Krueger, Dirk & Ludwig, Alexander & Popova, Irina & Iftikhar, Zainab, 2020. "Should Germany have built a new wall? Macroeconomic lessons from the 2015-18 refugee wave," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 28-55.
    11. Tatsuyoshi Miyakoshi, 2024. "Zero population growth rate and eldercare hours: Are both optimal for some European Union countries?#," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(1), pages 3-25, February.
    12. Eva Moreno Galbis & Felipe Trillos Carranza, 2023. "The birthplace bias of teleworking: Consequences for working conditions," Post-Print hal-04167186, HAL.
    13. Blömer, Maximilian J. & Guertzgen, Nicole & Pohlan, Laura & Stichnoth, Holger & van den Berg, Gerard J., 2024. "Unemployment effects of the German minimum wage in an equilibrium job search model," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
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    16. Gürtzgen, Nicole & Blömer, Maximilian & Pohlan, Laura & Stichnoth, Holger & van den Berg, Gerard, 2016. "Estimating an Equilibrium Job Search Model for the German Labour Market," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145950, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    17. Brunow, Stephan & Jost, Oskar, 2020. "On the foreign to native wage differential in Germany: Does the home country matter?," IAB-Discussion Paper 202026, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    18. Selda Dudu, 2022. "Employability and Labor Income of Immigrants in the US: A Special Focus on the Roles of Language and Home Country Income Level," World Journal of Applied Economics, WERI-World Economic Research Institute, vol. 8(1), pages 15-34, June.
    19. Brunow, Stephan & Jost, Oskar, 2019. "Wages of migrant and native employees in Germany: new light on an old issue," IAB-Discussion Paper 201910, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    20. Oleg Badunenko & Maria Popova, 2024. "Does inequality migrate? The development of income inequality across German states," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(2), pages 555-589, March.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs

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