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Is the Minimum Wage a Pull Factor for Immigrants?

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  • Giulietti, Corrado

    (University of Southampton)

Abstract

This paper studies the impact of the minimum wage on immigration. A framework is presented in which inflows of immigrants are a function of the expected wage growth induced by the minimum wage. The analysis focuses on the US minimum wage increase of 1996 and 1997, using data from the Current Population Survey and the census. The estimation strategy consists of using the fraction of affected workers as the instrumental variable for the growth of expected wages. The findings show that States in which the growth of expected wages was relatively large (around 20%) exhibit inflow rate increases that are four to five times larger than States in which average wages grew 10% less. Placebo tests confirm that the policy did not affect the immigration of high wage earners.

Suggested Citation

  • Giulietti, Corrado, 2010. "Is the Minimum Wage a Pull Factor for Immigrants?," IZA Discussion Papers 5410, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp5410
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Borjas, George J. & Freeman, Richard B. (ed.), 1992. "Immigration and the Work Force," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226066332, December.
    2. George J. Borjas & Richard B. Freeman, 1992. "Immigration and the Work Force: Economic Consequences for the United States and Source Areas," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number borj92-1, March.
    3. Alida Castillo-Freeman & Richard B. Freeman, 1992. "When the Minimum Wage Really Bites: The Effect of the U.S.-Level Minimum on Puerto Rico," NBER Chapters, in: Immigration and the Work Force: Economic Consequences for the United States and Source Areas, pages 177-212, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Are minimum wages attracting immigrants?
      by Economic Logician in Economic Logic on 2011-02-10 20:47:00

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    Cited by:

    1. Koichi Fukumura & Atsushi Yamagishi, 2020. "Minimum wage competition," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(6), pages 1557-1581, December.
    2. Winters, John, 2022. "Minimum Wages and Restaurant Employment for Teens and Adults in Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Areas," ISU General Staff Papers 202208161905110000, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    3. Edo, Anthony & Rapoport, Hillel, 2019. "Minimum wages and the labor market effects of immigration," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    4. Eva Moreno-Galbis, 2020. "Minimum wage and immigrants' participation in the welfare system: evidence from France," Working Papers halshs-02862874, HAL.
    5. Corrado Giulietti, 2015. "Do minimum wages induce immigration?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 151-151, May.
    6. Madeline Zavodny, 2014. "Who benefits from the minimum wage--natives or migrants?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 1-98, December.
    7. Thierry Baudassé & Rémi Bazillier & Ismaël Issifou, 2018. "Migration And Institutions: Exit And Voice (From Abroad)?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 727-766, July.
    8. Jiwei Chen, 2021. "Do minimum wage increases benefit worker health? Evidence from China," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 473-499, June.
    9. Michel Beine & Joël Machado & Ilse Ruyssen, 2020. "Do potential migrants internalize migrant rights in OECD host societies?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(4), pages 1429-1456, November.
    10. Yamagishi, Atsushi, 2021. "Minimum wages and housing rents: Theory and evidence," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    11. Daniel Kuehn, 2016. "Spillover Bias in Cross-Border Minimum Wage Studies: Evidence from a Gravity Model," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 37(4), pages 441-459, December.
    12. Yamagishi, Atsushi, 2019. "Minimum Wages and Housing Rents: Theory and Evidence from Two Countries," MPRA Paper 94238, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    wage effects; employment effects; expected wages; immigration; minimum wage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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