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Article
Profiling the New Immigrant Worker: The Effects of Skin Color and Height
Journal of Labor Economics
  • Joni Hersch
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2008
Keywords
  • immigrants,
  • discrimination in employment,
  • human skin color
Abstract

Using data from the New Immigrant Survey 2003, this paper shows that skin color and height affect wages among new lawful immigrants to the U.S. controlling for education, English language proficiency, occupation in source country, family background, ethnicity, race, and country of birth. Immigrants with the lightest skin color earn on average 17 percent more than comparable immigrants with the darkest skin color. Taller immigrants have higher wages, but weight does not affect wages. Controls for extensive current labor market characteristics that may be influenced by discrimination do not eliminate the negative effect of darker skin color on wages.

Citation Information
Joni Hersch. "Profiling the New Immigrant Worker: The Effects of Skin Color and Height" Journal of Labor Economics Vol. 26 (2008) p. 345 ISSN: 0734-306X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/joni-hersch/23/