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Immigrant Workers and Farm Performance: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data

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  • Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj

    (University of Southern Denmark)

  • Munch, Jakob R.

    (University of Copenhagen)

  • Seidelin, Claus Aastrup

    (University of Southern Denmark)

  • Skaksen, Jan Rose

    (Rockwool Foundation Research Unit)

Abstract

Many developed countries have recently experienced a significant inflow of immigrants in the agricultural sector. At the same time, the sector is still in a process of structural transformation resulting in fewer but bigger and presumably more efficient farms. In this paper, we exploit detailed matched employer-employee data for the entire population of Danish farms in the period 1980-2008 to analyze the micro-level relationship between these two developments. We find that farms that employ immigrants tend to be both larger and at least as productive as other farms. Furthermore, an increased use of immigrants is found to be associated with an improvement in farm performance as measured by job creation and revenue, and this seems at least in part to reflect a causal effect of the immigrants.

Suggested Citation

  • Malchow-Møller, Nikolaj & Munch, Jakob R. & Seidelin, Claus Aastrup & Skaksen, Jan Rose, 2013. "Immigrant Workers and Farm Performance: Evidence from Matched Employer-Employee Data," IZA Discussion Papers 7133, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7133
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    Cited by:

    1. Foged, Mette & Hasager, Linea & Yasenov, Vasil, 2019. "The Role of Institutions in the Labor Market Impact of Immigration," SocArXiv 3aj4n, Center for Open Science.
    2. Kimhi, Ayal, 2015. "Is foreign farm labor a blessing or a curse? Evidence from Israel," 2015 Conference, August 9-14, 2015, Milan, Italy 211852, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    3. Federico Antonioli & Simone Severini & Mauro Vigani, 2023. "Visa for competitiveness: foreign workforce and Italian dairy farms’ performance," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(1), pages 115-150.
    4. Mette Foged & Giovanni Peri, 2016. "Immigrants' Effect on Native Workers: New Analysis on Longitudinal Data," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 1-34, April.
    5. Clemens, Michael A., 2017. "The Effect of Occupational Visas on Native Employment: Evidence from Labor Supply to Farm Jobs in the Great Recession," IZA Discussion Papers 10492, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Michael A. Clemens, 2022. "The effect of seasonal work visas on native employment: Evidence from US farm work in the Great Recession," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(5), pages 1348-1374, November.
    7. Magnus Lodefalk, 2016. "Temporary expats for exports: micro-level evidence," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 152(4), pages 733-772, November.
    8. Mette Foged & Giovanni Peri, 2013. "Immigrants' and Native Workers: New Analysis on Longitudinal Data," NBER Working Papers 19315, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    agriculture; matched employer-employee data; immigration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J43 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Agricultural Labor Markets

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