Longitudinal Analysis of Immigrant Occupational Mobility: A Test of the Immigrant Assimilation Hypothesis

30 Pages Posted: 31 Mar 2002

See all articles by Barry R. Chiswick

Barry R. Chiswick

University of Illinois at Chicago; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Yew L. Lee

University of Western Australia

Paul W. Miller

Curtin University of Technology - School of Economics and Finance; IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Curtin University - Centre for Research in Applied Economics

Date Written: March 2002

Abstract

Using an immigrant assimilation framework, this paper develops a model of the occupational mobility of immigrants and tests the hypotheses using data on adult males from the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia. The theoretical model generates hypotheses regarding a U-shaped pattern of occupational mobility from the "last job" in the origin, to the "first job" in the destination, to subsequent jobs in the destination, and regarding the depth of the "U". The survey includes data on pre-immigration occupation, the "first" occupation in Australia (at 6 months) and the occupation after about 3.5 years in Australia. The hypotheses are supported by the empirical analysis.

Keywords: Immigrants, Occupational Mobility/Attainment, Assimilation, Longitudinal Data, Australia

JEL Classification: J15, J24, J61, J62

Suggested Citation

Chiswick, Barry R. and Lee, Yew Liang and Miller, Paul W. and Miller, Paul W., Longitudinal Analysis of Immigrant Occupational Mobility: A Test of the Immigrant Assimilation Hypothesis (March 2002). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=305371 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.305371

Barry R. Chiswick (Contact Author)

University of Illinois at Chicago ( email )

601 S. Morgan Street, Room 2103UH
Chicago, IL 60607-7121
United States
312-996-2683 (Phone)
312-996-3344 (Fax)

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Yew Liang Lee

University of Western Australia ( email )

35 Stirling Highway
Crawley, Western Australia 6009
AUSTRALIA

Paul W. Miller

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Curtin University of Technology - School of Economics and Finance ( email )

GPO Box U1987
Perth WA 6845
Australia

Curtin University - Centre for Research in Applied Economics ( email )

GPO Box U1987
Perth, Western Australia 6845
Australia

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