Are Robert and Steven more Employable than Vladislav and Alejandro? Evidence from a Field Experiment

Date: 

Wednesday, February 26, 2020, 4:00pm to 5:30pm

Location: 

William James Hall, 33 Kirkland Street, Room 1550

Felipe Dias, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Tufts University

Existing research on the economic integration of immigrants in the United States lacks causal estimates of immigrant-based discrimination in the labor market. To address this empirical gap, I designed and carried out a national audit study across 19 U.S. Metropolitan Areas in low-skill and high-skilled occupations. In this talk, I will present findings from a large-scale project to examine whether, and to what extent, nativity status (immigrant-born vs foreign-born) shapes labor market outcomes. I also examine whether the effects of nativity are mitigated by race. My findings provide the first causal estimates of immigrant-based discrimination in the labor market in the United States and offer unique insights into how the behavior of employers shape the economic integration of newcomers.