Positioned at Extremes: Future Job Placements of Immigrant Students at U.S. Colleges

Francis Dillon, Sari Pekkala Kerr, William R. Kerr and Andrew Wang

Working Papers from U.S. Census Bureau, Center for Economic Studies

Abstract: Immigrant students who attend U.S. colleges are disproportionately employed in either large firms—especially multinationals—or small firms and self-employment. Using linked Census and longitudinal employment data, we trace the jobs taken by college students in 2000 during the 2001-20 period and evaluate four mechanisms shaping sector and firm size placement: geographic clustering, degree specialization, firm capabilities/visas, and ethnic self-employment specialization. Degree fields predict large firm and MNE placement, while ethnic specialization explains small firm sorting. Immigrant students who remain in the U.S. earn more than their native peers, suggesting the segmentation reflects productive sorting rather than blocked opportunity.

Keywords: Immigration; college; students; job placements; careers; multi-nationals; assimilation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 F23 F66 I23 J61 L26 M13 M16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-01
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https://www2.census.gov/library/working-papers/2026/adrm/ces/CES-WP-26-08.pdf First version, 2026 (application/pdf)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cen:wpaper:26-08

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