2011/06/28 by Giovanni Peri, GIOVANNI PERI, Chad Sparber +1 · 3 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Labor market dynamics and wage inequality #Migration and Labor Dynamics #Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1468-232x.2011.00643.x
openalex publication_date 2011/06/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Economic debate about the consequences of immigration in the United States has largely focused on how influxes of foreign-born labor with little educational attainment have affected similarly educated native-born workers. Fewer studies analyze the effect of immigration within the market for highly educated labor. We use O*NET data on job characteristics to assess whether native-born workers with graduate degrees respond to an increased presence of highly educated foreign-born workers by choosing new occupations with different skill content. We find that highly educated native and foreign-born workers are imperfect substitutes. Immigrants with graduate degrees specialize in occupations demanding quantitative and analytical skills, whereas their native-born counterparts specialize in occupations requiring interactive and communication skills. When the foreign-born proportion of highly educated employment within an occupation rises, native employees with graduate degrees choose new occupations with less analytical and more communicative content.