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Language, Employment and Earnings in the United States: Spanish-English Differentials from 1970 to 1990

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  • David E. Bloom
  • Gilles Grenier

Abstract

This paper analyzes employment and earnings differentials between Spanish speakers and English speakers in the United States, using data from the 1970, 1980, and 1990 U.S. censuses. The results show that Spanish speakers, both men and women, do not perform as well in the labor market as English speakers. The results also reveal that Spanish-English earnings and unemployment differentials increased slightly in the 1970s, most likely because of rapid growth in the number of Spanish speakers. By contrast, these differentials increased sharply in the 1980s, also a period of rapidly increasing supply. However, there is no evidence that the widening of differentials in the 1980s reflects an increase in the labor market rewards to English language proficiency. Rather, they appear to be the result of Spanish speakers having relatively little of those labor market characteristics, most notably education, whose market value increased dramatically during the 1980s.

Suggested Citation

  • David E. Bloom & Gilles Grenier, 1993. "Language, Employment and Earnings in the United States: Spanish-English Differentials from 1970 to 1990," NBER Working Papers 4584, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4584
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Richard Fry & B. Lindsay Lowell, 2003. "The Value of Bilingualism in the U.S. Labor Market," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 57(1), pages 128-140, October.
    2. Afful, Efua Amoonua, 2013. "Heterogeneity in the Importance of English-Speaking Ability in Determination of Employment Status by Demographic Subgroups in the United States," MPRA Paper 58767, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Ying Zhen, 2022. "Career challenges facing musicians in the United States," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 46(3), pages 519-540, September.
    4. Dumond, J Michael & Hirsch, Barry T & Macpherson, David A, 1999. "Wage Differentials across Labor Markets and Workers: Does Cost of Living Matter?," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 37(4), pages 577-598, October.
    5. Richard R. Verdugo & David A. Swanson, 2022. "The Mexican‐American worker: Assimilation, bias, and discrimination, 1940–2019," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(6), pages 1401-1423, November.
    6. Ruth Milkman, 1995. "Economic Inequality among Women," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 679-683, December.
    7. Zavodny, Madeline, 2000. "The Effects of Official English Laws on Limited-English-Proficient Workers," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 18(3), pages 427-452, July.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand

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