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Employers' Language Proficiency Requirements and Hiring of Immigrants

Author

Listed:
  • Carlsson, Magnus

    (Department of Economics and Statistics, Linnaeus University)

  • Eriksson, Stefan

    (Department of Economics, Uppsala University)

  • Rooth, Dan-Olof

    (Swedish Institute for Social Research)

Abstract

Labor markets in advanced economies have undergone substantial change due to globalization, technological improvements, and organizational changes, making language proficiency increasingly important even in less skilled jobs. Has this development led employers to shy away from hiring immigrants with limited host-country language skills? We shed light on this question by conducting a large-scale field experiment, where we introduce common second-language features in immigrants’ resumes. We also conduct employer surveys to interpret our experimental results. Our main finding is that language proficiency has a strong positive effect on being invited to a job interview, even in typical immigrant entry jobs.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlsson, Magnus & Eriksson, Stefan & Rooth, Dan-Olof, 2025. "Employers' Language Proficiency Requirements and Hiring of Immigrants," SOFI Working Papers in Labour Economics 7/2025, Stockholm University, Swedish Institute for Social Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:sofile:2025_007
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    language proficiency; immigrant hiring; field experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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