Africans in the American Labor Market

Abstract

The number of migrants to the United States from Africa has grown exponentially since the 1930s. For the first time in America’s history, migrants born in Africa are growing at a faster rate than migrants from any other continent. The composition of African-origin migrants has also changed dramatically: in the mid-twentieth century, the majority were white and came from only three countries; but today, about one-fifth are white, and African-origin migrants hail from across the entire continent. Little is known about the implications of these changes for their labor market outcomes in the United States. Using the 2000–2011 waves of the American Community Survey, we present a picture of enormous heterogeneity in labor market participation, sectoral choice, and hourly earnings of male and female migrants by country of birth, race, age at arrival in the United States, and human capital. For example, controlling a rich set of human capital and demographic characteristics, some migrants—such as those from South Africa/Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, who typically enter on employment visas—earn substantial premiums relative to other African-origin migrants. These premiums are especially large among males who arrived after age 18. In contrast, other migrants—such as those from Sudan/Somalia, who arrived more recently, mostly as refugees—earn substantially less than migrants from other African countries. Understanding the mechanisms generating the heterogeneity in these outcomes—including levels of socioeconomic development, language, culture, and quality of education in countries of origin, as well as selectivity of those who migrate—remain important unresolved research questions.

Immigrants’ Economic Assimilation: Evidence from Longitudinal Earnings Records

“…Results of the fixed-effects model highlight this pattern, showing that black immigrants have one of the largest earnings growths among all ethnoracial groups, and Hispanic immigrants have the lowest. The large earnings growth experienced by black immigrants is consistent with prior work indicating the successful integration of immigrants from Africa and the Caribbean in the U.S. labor market (Dodoo 1997; Elo et al 2015; Kollehlon and Eule 2003).…”

Life Expectancy Among U.S.-born and Foreign-born Older Adults in the United States: Estimates From Linked Social Security and Medicare Data

“…For example, because of the small number of total African immigrants ages 65+, all persons born in Africa are in one group despite pronounced diversity among Africans with respect to race/ethnicity and time of arrival (Elo et al 2015). Similarly, the Caribbean-born group is an aggregation of persons from different racial/ethnic backgrounds (e.g., blacks, East Indians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanics).…”

Predictors of Academic Success in a Nontraditional Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Program at a Historically Black College and University

“…5,6,7 In the medical field, Rao and Flores attribute achievement gaps to factors such as lack of family support and role models. 8 According to Kent and colleagues, the number of Black immigrants to the U.S. has increased by more than 300 percent in the past three decades, 9 with roughly 4% of Black immigrants being from the African continent and 9% being from the Caribbean. 10,11 Chiswick and Miller highlight the fact that many African immigrants to the U.S. are highly skilled and highly educated due to the educational systems within their countries of origin.…”