International Migration and the Economics of Language

Abstract

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Age at immigration matters for labor market integration—the Swedish example

“…Consequently, middle-aged and older migrants are, ceteris paribus, less likely to invest in obtaining new skills valued at the destination country and in finding and developing networks useful for finding a job. In addition, some skills, like learning a new language, tend to become harder to learn with age (on the latter, see, for example, Chiswick and Miller 2015).…”

The Educational Consequences of Language Proficiency for Young Children

“…Language skills are viewed as part of human capital and play an important role in labor market performance, schooling, health care, consumption and investment (see an overview in Chiswick and Miller (2014)). The existing literature predominantly studies the topic in the context of immigration.…”

The value of language skills

“…Respondents assess their own language skills, generally on a scale that includes two or more skill categories. Not surprisingly, a major finding of studies that examine the acquisition of these countries' dominant language is that knowing that language brings important returns [4], [10]. Specifically, the earnings advantage is in the order of 10-20% for people who are fluent in the dominant language compared with those who are not.…”

“…Both the determinants and impacts of language learning in the context of international migration have been extensively researched [10]. The determinants of language learning that have been explored include exposure, efficiency, and economic incentives.…”