The Effect of Occupational Choice on the Earnings of College Educated Immigrants from China, India, the Philippines and Mexico

Abstract

An interesting characteristic of the US labor market is the concentration ofimmigrants into occupational niches. For example, among college educated immigrants,Filipinos are very likely to be employed as healthcare practitioners, especially asregistered nurses, Chinese as scientists and financial specialists, Indians as engineers andin computing and mathematical occupations. This paper uses 2011 American CommunitySurvey (ACS) data to estimate earnings functions to see if there are significant economicconsequences to immigrants when they choose niche occupations. OLS regression resultssuggest that choosing to work in occupational niches does significantly influence earningsof college educated immigrants, but that the effects differ across immigrant groups. (J24,J31)