Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Marco Alfano
Author-Name-First: Marco
Author-Name-Last: Alfano
Author-Email: marco.alfano@strath.ac.uk
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde
Author-Name: Ross McKenzie
Author-Name-First: Ross
Author-Name-Last: McKenzie
Author-Email: r.mckenzie@strath.ac.uk
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde
Author-Name: Graeme Roy
Author-Name-First: Graeme
Author-Name-Last: Roy
Author-Email: graeme.roy@strath.ac.uk
Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde
Title: The cross-occupational effects of immigration on native wages in the UK
Abstract: This paper estimates the effect of immigration into an occupation on the wages of natives working in other, better paid occupations. Using Annual Population Survey data from the UK we rank occupations by real hourly wage and _find that increasesin the migrant/native ratio raise average wages of natives working in the next higher paid occupation by around 0.13 percent. We find that these effects operate through migrants' higher educational attainments raising workplace productivity more broadly and supporting specialization in tasks. Our findings have important implications for policy and public discourse. They suggest that debates over the economic impacts of migration often ignore the potential spill-over benefits that a migrant can bring to the
outcomes for native workers elsewhere in the wage distribution, particularly in lower wage occupations.


Length: 34 pages
Creation-Date: 2020-08
Revision-Date: 
Publication-Status: Published
File-URL: https://www.strath.ac.uk/media/1newwebsite/departmentsubject/economics/research/researchdiscussionpapers/20-11_-_Marco_Alfano_et_al_-_combined.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Number: 2011
Classification-JEL: J21, J31, J61
Keywords: immigration, impact, wage distribution
Handle: RePEc:str:wpaper:2011