title: Assimilation and changes in cohort quality revisited: what happened to immigrant earnings in the 1980s?
abstract: "This article uses the 1970, 1980, and 1990 Public Use Samples of the U.S. census to document what happened to immigrant earnings in the 1980s and to determine if pre-1980 immigrant flows reached earnings parity with natives. The relative entry wage of successive immigrant cohorts declined by 9% in the 1970s and by an additional 6% in the 1980s. Although the relative wage of immigrants grows by 10% during the first 2 decades after arrival, recent immigrants will earn 15%-20% less than natives throughout much of their working lives."
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Borjas
mesh_terms: D000069:Acculturation; D000569:Americas; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005006:Ethnicity; D009656:North America; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012106:Research; D012456:Salaries and Fringe Benefits; D012922:Social Change; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014481:United States
keywords: Acculturation; Americas; Cohort Analysis; Comparative Studies; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Economic Factors; Immigrants; Macroeconomic Factors; Migrants; Migration; Nationality; Native-born; North America; Northern America; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Research Methodology; Social Change; Studies; United States; Wages