Immigrant earnings: age at immigration matters

Joseph Schaafsma and Arthur Sweetman ()

Canadian Journal of Economics, 2001, vol. 34, issue 4, pages 1066-1099

Abstract: A correlation between age at immigration and earnings is observed in Canadian census data. The evidence supports three underlying sources of the effect; first, work experience in the source country yields virtually no return in the host country; second, the return to education varies with age at immigration, and, finally, an "acculturation" effect is observed for immigrants who are visible minorities or whose mother tongue is not English. Further, it is found that educational attainment, and relatedly earnings, vary systematically across age at immigration with those arriving around age 15 to 18 obtaining fewer years of education.

JEL-codes: J61 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2001
View citations in EconPapers

Downloads: (external link)
http://economics.ca/cgi/xms?jab=v34n4/12.pdf Full text (application/pdf)
Available to subscribers only. Alternative access through JSTOR and Ingenta.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://economics.ca/en/membership.php

Access Statistics for this article

Canadian Journal of Economics is edited by Dwayne Benjamin

More articles in Canadian Journal of Economics from Canadian Economics Association
Address: Canadian Economics Association Prof. Steven Ambler, Secretary-Treasurer c/o Olivier Lebert, CEA/CJE/CPP Office CIREQ-C.R.D.E., Université de Montréal C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville Montréal, Québec, H3C 3J7, Canada
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Prof. Werner Antweiler ().