Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation: An Analysis for Germany

Leilanie Basilio and Thomas Bauer ()

No 4716, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: This paper investigates the transferability of human capital across countries and the contribution of imperfect human capital portability to the explanation of the immigrant-native wage gap. Using data for West Germany, our results reveal that, overall, education and labor market experience accumulated in the home countries of the immigrants receive significantly lower returns than human capital obtained in Germany. We further find evidence for heterogeneity in the returns to human capital of immigrants across origin countries. Finally, imperfect human capital transferability appears to be a major factor in explaining the wage differential between natives and immigrants.

Keywords: human capital; rate of return; immigration; assimilation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J24 J31 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 33 pages
Date: 2010-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur, nep-hrm, nep-lab and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (48)

Published - published in: Labour, 2017, 31 (3), 245 - 264

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https://docs.iza.org/dp4716.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation: An Analysis for Germany (2017)
Working Paper: Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation: An Analysis for Germany (2014)
Working Paper: Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation: An Analysis for Germany (2013)
Working Paper: Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation – An Analysis for Germany (2010)
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