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Wage Differences Between Immigrants and Natives in Austria: The Role of Literacy Skills

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  • Christl, Michael
  • Köppl-Turyna, Monika
  • Gnan, Philiipp

Abstract

This paper analyzes wage differences between natives and immigrants in Austria. First, we show that for both groups, literacy skills are an important determinant of the hourly wage. In the second step, we show that differences in proficiency with respect to literacy can explain more than three log points of the total wage gap of 9.7 log points between natives and immigrants. When adding literacy skills to the wage decomposition, the discriminatory part vanishes completely, suggesting that the wage difference between immigrants and natives in Austria can be to a large extent explained. Furthermore, we account for a possible sample selection bias. After controlling for literacy skills, the unexplained part of the gap becomes statistically insignificant. The importance of literacy skills in explaining wage differences between natives and immigrants is robust across several sensitivity tests.

Suggested Citation

  • Christl, Michael & Köppl-Turyna, Monika & Gnan, Philiipp, 2018. "Wage Differences Between Immigrants and Natives in Austria: The Role of Literacy Skills," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181566, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:vfsc18:181566
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    Cited by:

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    2. Michael Christl & Alain Bélanger & Alessandra Conte & Jacopo Mazza & Edlira Narazani, 2021. "The fiscal impact of immigration in the EU," JRC Working Papers on Taxation & Structural Reforms 2021-01, Joint Research Centre.
    3. Andrej Cupák & Pavel Ciaian & d'Artis Kancs, 2021. "Comparing the immigrant-native pay gap: A novel evidence from home and host countries," EERI Research Paper Series EERI RP 2021/05, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.
    4. Michael Christl & Silvia Poli, 2021. "Trapped in inactivity? Social assistance and labour supply in Austria," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 48(3), pages 661-696, August.
    5. Héctor Alberto Botello-Peñaloza, 2021. "Wage Inequality of Venezuelan Migrants in Ecuador," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(1), pages 115-132, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    wage; decomposition; gap; immigrants; natives; Austria;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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