The Selection of High-Skilled Migrants

Matthias Parey, Jens Ruhose (), Fabian Waldinger and Nicolai Netz ()
Additional contact information
Nicolai Netz: DZHW-German Centre for Research on Higher Education and Science Studies

No 9164, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We measure selection of high-skilled migrants from Germany using predicted earnings. Migrants to less equal countries are positively selected relative to non-migrants, while migrants to more equal countries are negatively selected, consistent with the prediction in Borjas (1987). Positive selection to less equal countries is driven by university quality and grades, and negative selection to more equal countries by university subject and gender. Migrants to the U.S. are highly positively selected and concentrated in STEM fields. Our results highlight the relevance of the Borjas model for high-skilled individuals when credit constraints and other migration barriers are unlikely to be binding.

Keywords: selection; high-skilled migrants; international migration; inequality; Roy/Borjas model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J24 J31 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 62 pages
Date: 2015-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab, nep-ltv and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Forthcoming - published in: Review of Economics and Statistics, 2017, 99(5), 776-792

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https://docs.iza.org/dp9164.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Selection of High-Skilled Emigrants (2017)
Working Paper: The Selection of High-Skilled Emigrants (2017)
Working Paper: The selection of high-skilled emigrants (2017)
Working Paper: The Selection of High-Skilled Emigrants (2017)
Working Paper: The Selection of High-Skilled Migrants (2015)
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