Labour segregation and immigrant and native-born wage distributions in Spain: an analysis using matched employer–employee data

Abstract

This article carries out an empirical examination of the origin of the differences between immigrant and native-born wage structures in the Spanish labour market. Especial attention is given in the analysis to the role played by occupational and workplace segregation of immigrants. Legal immigrants from developing countries exhibit lower mean wages and a more compressed wage structure than native-born workers. By contrast, immigrants from developed countries display higher mean wages and a more dispersed wage structure. The main empirical finding is that the disparities in the wage distributions for the native-born and both groups of immigrants are largely explained by their different observed characteristics, with a particularly important influence in this context of workplace and, particularly, occupational segregation.

How Relevant Is the Origin of Human Capital for Immigrant Wages? Evidence from Spain

“…Indeed, Simón, Sanromá and Ramos (2008) have found that the wage gap between natives and immigrants from developed economies is favourable to the immigrant group. Therefore, it seems reasonable to expect that their economic progress would not occur or would be less important than for other groups.…”

Raining stones?: Female immigrants in the Spanish labour market

“…Recent examples of research on wage differentials and immigration, like the papers of Simón et al (2008), Canal-Domínguez and Rodríguez-Gutiérrez, or Antón et al (2010a and2010b), though documenting the issue of the earnings gap between migrants and natives not explained by human capital endowments, do not address the possibility of a double negative effect on female migrants' outcomes. In addition, there is an increasing body of research analysing the assimilation process of immigrants to the Spanish labour market, pointing out to a higher employment rate (percent of total working age population who is employed) among immigrants than among natives and finding a certain convergence in terms of employment rate and a more limited evidence of progression in terms of occupational levels (Amuedo-Dorantes and De la Rica, 2007;Alcobendas and Rodríguez-Planas, 2009) and earnings (Izquierdo et al, 2009) 4 .…”

Diferenciación socio-espacial y segregación racial en España

“…La existencia de idiomas, tecnologías u organizaciones empresariales diferentes a las del país de origen de los inmigrantes provoca que parte del capital humano adquirido por éstos no sea útil en el nuevo entorno. De hecho, los datos de la Encuesta de Estructura Salarial de 2006, mostraban que los inmigrantes al llegar a España reciben, en promedio, un salario alrededor de un 30% inferior al de un trabajador de nacionalidad española de similares características en términos de nivel educativo y experiencia profesional (Simón et al, 2008(Simón et al, y 2014. Aunque este supuesto desfase de capital laboral tampoco ha sido muy significativo ya que los puestos vacantes han sido para las mujeres, las ocupaciones de servicios más bajas (más del 60%) y para los hombres, las ocupaciones industriales y de construcción más bajas (cerca del 40%) por lo que no es que haya existido la posibilidad de aplicar los conocimientos adquiridos en el país de origen (Fernández et al, 2014).…”