Matching Language Proficiency to Occupation: The Effect on Immigrants’ Earnings

Barry Chiswick and Paul Miller

No 2587, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper analyzes the effect on earnings of the matching of English language skills to occupational requirements. It uses data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database and a “Realized Matches” procedure to quantify expected levels of English skills in each of over 500 occupations in the US Census. Earnings data from the 2000 US Census for foreign-born adult male workers are then examined in relation to these occupational English requirements. The analyses show that earnings are related to correct matching of an individual’s language skills and that of his occupation. Moreover, the findings are robust with respect to a range of measurement and specification issues. Immigrant settlement policy may have a role to play in matching immigrants to jobs that use their language skills most effectively.

Keywords: immigrants; earnings; English language; schooling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J24 J31 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2007-01
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published - published as 'The impact of surplus skills on earnings: Extending the over-education model to language proficiency' in: Economics of Education Review, 2013, 36, 263-275

Downloads: (external link)
https://docs.iza.org/dp2587.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Working Paper: Matching Language Proficiency to Occupation: The Effect on Immigrants' Earnings (2011)
Working Paper: Matching Language Proficiency to Occupation: The Effect on Immigrants' Earnings (2007)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:iza:izadps:dp2587

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
IZA, Margard Ody, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) IZA, P.O. Box 7240, D-53072 Bonn, Germany. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Holger Hinte ().