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Monopsony and the wage effects of migration

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  • Amior, Michael
  • Manning, Alan

Abstract

If labour markets are competitive, migration can only affect native wages via marginal products. But under imperfect competition, migration may also increase wage mark-downs—if firms have greater monopsony power over migrants than natives, but cannot perfectly wage discriminate. While marginal products depend on relative labour supplies across skill cells, mark-downs depend on migrant concentration within them. This insight can help rationalise empirical violations of canonical migration models. Using US data, we conclude that migration does increase mark-downs: this expands aggregate native income, but redistributes it from workers to firms. Policies which constrain monopsony power over migrants can mitigate these adverse wage effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Amior, Michael & Manning, Alan, 2026. "Monopsony and the wage effects of migration," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 128735, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:128735
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    1. is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Fays, Valentine & Mahy, Benoît & Rycx, François, 2024. "Do migrants displace native-born workers on the labour market? The impact of workers' origin," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1420, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    3. Léa Marchal & Guzman Ourens & Giulia Sabbadini, 2022. "When Immigrants Meet Exporters: A Reassessment of the Immigrant Wage Gap," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-03905529, HAL.
    4. Sachs, Dominik & Colas, Mark, 2020. "The Indirect Fiscal Benefits of Low-Skilled Immigration," CEPR Discussion Papers 15325, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    5. Mark Colas & Dominik Sachs, 2020. "The Indirect Fiscal Benefits of Low-Skilled Immigration," Opportunity and Inclusive Growth Institute Working Papers 38, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
    6. Monras, Joan & Vázquez-Grenno, Javier & Elias, Ferran, 2018. "Understanding the Effects of Granting Work Permits to Undocumented Immigrants," CEPR Discussion Papers 12726, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Peter Norlander, 2021. "Do guest worker programs give firms too much power?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 484-484, June.
    8. Valentine Fays & Benoît Mahy & François Ryckx, 2024. "Do migrants displace native-born workers on the labour market? The impact of workers’ origin," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2024004, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    9. Amior, Michael, 2020. "Immigration, local crowd-out and undercoverage bias," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 108490, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Jeremias Nieminen & Sanni Kiviholma & Ohto Kanninen & Hannu Karhunen, 2024. "Regulating Labor Immigration: The Effects of Lifting Labor Market Testing," Working Papers 344, Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE, The Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE.
    11. Ezgi Kaya, 2025. "Differences in labour market outcomes between immigrant and UK‐born employees: evidence from linked data," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 127(4), pages 765-808, October.
    12. Silliman, Mikko & Willén, Alexander, 2024. "Worker Power, Immigrant Sorting, and Firm Dynamics," IZA Discussion Papers 17208, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Ahrens, Achim & Beerli, Andreas & Hangartner, Dominik & Kurer, Selina & Siegenthaler, Michael, 2023. "The Labor Market Effects of Restricting Refugees' Employment Opportunities," IZA Discussion Papers 15901, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Christian Dustmann & Hyejin Ku & Tetyana Surovtseva, 2024. "Real Exchange Rates and the Earnings of Immigrants," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(657), pages 271-294.
    15. George J. Borjas & Anthony Edo, 2023. "Monopsony, Efficiency, and the Regularization of Undocumented Immigrants," NBER Working Papers 31457, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    16. Alan Manning, 2021. "Monopsony in Labor Markets: A Review," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 74(1), pages 3-26, January.
    17. Borjas, George J. & Edo, Anthony, 2023. "Monopsony, Efficiency, and the Regularization of Undocumented Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 16297, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Mark Colas & Dominik Sachs, 2020. "The Indirect Fiscal Benefits of Low-Skilled Immigration," CESifo Working Paper Series 8604, CESifo.
    19. Luigi Capoani & Cristoforo Imbesi & Francesca Rinaldi & Claudio Annibali, 2024. "Return migration, self-selection and labour market outcomes," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2024(2), pages 191-228.
    20. Vittoria Dicandia & Silvia Vannutelli, 2025. "Immigrants' Legalization and Firms: Evidence from the 2007 EU Enlargement," Working Papers 25-04, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    21. Marchal, Léa & Ourens, Guzmán & Sabbadini, Giulia, 2025. "When immigrants meet exporters: A reassessment of the migrant-native wage gap," DICE Discussion Papers 420, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE).
    22. Tino, Stephen, 2025. "Labour market power, firm productivity, and the immigrant-native pay gap," CLEF Working Paper Series 88, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    23. Lebow, Jeremy, 2024. "Immigration and occupational downgrading in Colombia," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    24. Fiaschi, Davide & Tealdi, Cristina, 2020. "Winners and Losers of Immigration," IZA Discussion Papers 13600, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    25. Amior, Michael & Stuhler, Jan, 2023. "Immigration, Monopsony and the Distribution of Firm Pay," CEPR Discussion Papers 18709, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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