Do Immigrants Work in Worse Jobs than U.S. Natives? Evidence from California

Abstract

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Do immigrants improve the health of native workers?

“…Similar findings have been observed across advanced economies, including Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the US [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [11], [12].…”

“…It is therefore crucial for policymakers to understand the degree of substitutability of immigrant and native workers and whether, and why, immigrants may be more likely to hold risky jobs. While several studies have documented differences in the distribution of natives, immigrants, and minorities across industry sectors and occupations, relatively few studies have analyzed differences in job disamenity, physical intensity, and occupational risk between natives and immigrants [8], [9], [10], [11], [12].…”

“…For example, immigrants may have a different perception of job risks than native workers, as they arrive from countries where they typically face worse working conditions. Recent research using survey data from California shows that, while immigrants are likely to hold more strenuous jobs than natives, self-reported, physical job demands indicate that they do not perceive their jobs as requiring more physical effort than US natives perceive their jobs to require [12].…”

Immigration and the Health of U.S. Natives

“…In this subsection, I examine a possible mechanism through which immigration may adversely affect the health status of the U.S.‐born population. The role of immigration in nudging U.S. workers from risk‐intensive, physically demanding jobs toward occupations with lower physical intensity, and risk of injury have been investigated in the literature (Orrenius and Zavodny ; Peri and Sparber ; Zavodny ). However, there are fewer studies that examine how the provision of health care services is affected by immigration to the United States.…”

“…Further extending the analysis, I explore the possible mechanism by which immigration may affect the health of U.S. natives. The fact that immigrants to the United States are more likely to hold more difficult jobs than U.S. natives and its role in nudging U.S.‐born workers toward occupations that are less risk‐intensive and physically demanding have been investigated previously (Orrenius and Zavodny ; Peri and Sparber ; Zavodny ). There are fewer studies, however, that examine how the provision of health care services is affected by immigration in the United States.…”