Do immigrants squeeze natives out of bad schedules? Evidence from Italy

Abstract

This paper documents the effect of immigrant concentration on natives' work schedules. I show that immigrants are more likely to work at non-standard hours (i.e. evenings, nights and Sundays) and that a higher proportion of immigrants in the local labor market is associated with a lower probability of employed natives working non-standard shifts. Results are strongest in sectors and occupations that are more accessible to immigrants. In particular, I find that a 1 standard deviation increase in the foreign population residing in a province is associated to a 4% reduction in the natives' likelihood of working non standard hours. JEL codes: J15, J81, J61

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].…”

“…Consistent with these earlier findings, new evidence using longitudinal data from Germany shows that an increase in the share of immigrants living in a local labor market decreases the likelihood that natives will report doctor-assessed disability and, more generally, has a positive impact on native health (Figure 3) [6]. One of the major challenges of the spatial correlation approach is that the location of immigrants across different areas may be endogenous.…”

“…There is also evidence that immigration pushes native workers toward more communication-intensive jobs and reduces the physical burden associated with certain occupations ( Figure 1; Figure 2) [1], [2], [3], [4]. Furthermore, immigration decreases the likelihood of native workers working late hours and non-standard shifts [4], [6], [7]. …”

“…Given the negative effects of shift work and late hours on health and well-being, policymakers should not neglect the impact of immigration on natives' work schedules when evaluating immigration policies [6].…”

“…It is worth noting that current studies focus on occupational risk and job types, rather than on the condition of jobs themselves. There is also evidence that immigration reduces the average workload of native workers and pushes them toward more "communication-intensive" jobs and more standard schedules [1], [2], [3], [4], [6], [7].…”