Immigration and the skill premium

Alessia Lo Turco, Daniela Maggioni and Federico Trionfetti

No 2414, AMSE Working Papers from Aix-Marseille School of Economics, France

Abstract: Data on EU economies show no correlation between low-skilled immigration and the skill premium. We rationalise this evidence in a model where firms face search and screening costs. Low-skilled immigration diminishes the relative benefit of screening skilled workers, leading to a decline in their relative ability within the firm and an undetermined impact on the skill premium. On region-sector and firm level data from 2008 to 2013, we find that low-skilled immigration in Italian regions has reduced skill intensity without affecting the skill premium. Using proxies for workers’ ability and screening activity, we provide supporting evidence for the theorised mechanisms.

Keywords: matching; screening; skill-intensity; factor relative ability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D24 F16 F22 J61 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 78 pages
Date: 2024-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-eur, nep-int, nep-lab, nep-mig and nep-ure
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Related works:
Working Paper: Immigration and the skill premium (2024)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aim:wpaimx:2414

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