Working Paper

Migration and Wage-Setting: Reassessing the Labor Market Effects of Migration

Authors

  • Brücker
  • H.
  • Jahn
  • E.J.
Publication Date

This paper employs a wage-setting approach to analyze the labor market effects of immigration into Germany. The wage-setting framework relies on the assumption that wages tend to decline with the unemployment rate, albeit imperfectly. This enables us to consider labor market rigidities, which are particularly relevant in Europe. We find that the elasticity of the wage-setting curve is particularly high for young and well-educated workers. The labor market effects of immigration are moderate: a 1 percent increase in the German labor force through immigration increases the unemployment rate by less than 0.1 percentage points and reduces wages by 0.1 percent.

Info

JEL Classification
F22, J31, J61

Key Words

  • labor markets
  • migration
  • Panel data
  • wage-setting