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Blind recruitment can level the playing field
in access to jobs but cannot prevent all forms of discrimination
The use of anonymous job applications (or blind
recruitment) to combat hiring discrimination is gaining attention and
interest. Results from field experiments and pilot projects in European
countries (France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden are considered
here), Canada, and Australia shed light on their potential to reduce some of
the discriminatory barriers to hiring for minority and other disadvantaged
groups. But although this approach can achieve its primary aims, there are
also important cautions to consider.
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Patterns of labor market assimilation for
married immigrant women are similar to those for men
What is the role of married women in immigrant
households? Their contribution to the labor market has traditionally been
considered of secondary importance and studied in the framework of temporary
attachment to the labor force to support the household around the time of
arrival. But this role has changed. Evidence from major immigrant-receiving
countries suggests that married immigrant women make labor supply decisions
similar to those recently observed for native-born married women, who are
guided by their own opportunities in the labor market rather than by their
spouses’ employment trajectories.
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Immigrants initially earn less than natives;
the wage gap falls over time, but for many immigrant groups it never
closes
Immigrants contribute to the economic
development of the host country, but they earn less at entry and it takes
many years for them to achieve parity of income. For some immigrant groups,
the wage gap never closes. There is a wide variation across countries in the
entry wage gap and the speed of wage assimilation over time. Wage
assimilation is affected by year of entry, immigrant skill, ethnicity, and
gender. Policies that facilitate assimilation of immigrant workers provide
support for education, language, and employment. Such policies can also
reduce barriers to entry, encourage naturalization, and target selection of
immigrants.
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When migrants move to countries with high
obesity rates, does assimilation lead to labor market penalties and higher
health care costs?
Upon arrival in a host country, immigrants often
have lower obesity rates (as measured for instance by BMI—body mass index)
than their native counterparts do, but these rates converge over time. In
light of the worldwide obesity epidemic and the flow of immigrants into host
countries with higher obesity rates, it is important to understand the
consequences of such assimilation. Policymakers could benefit from a
discussion of the impact of immigrant obesity on labor market outcomes and
the use of public services. In particular, policies could find ways to
improve immigrants’ access to health care for both the prevention and
treatment of obesity.
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Do poor labor market opportunities lead to
migrant crime?
Immigration is one of the most important
policy debates in Western countries. However, one aspect of the debate is
often mischaracterized by accusations that higher levels of immigration lead
to higher levels of crime. The evidence, based on empirical studies of many
countries, indicates that there is no simple link between immigration and
crime, but legalizing the status of immigrants has beneficial effects on
crime rates. Crucially, the evidence points to substantial differences in
the impact on property crime, depending on the labor market opportunities of
immigrant groups.
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A mix of policies could be the solution to
reducing discrimination in the labor market
Discrimination is a complex, multi-factor
phenomenon. Evidence shows widespread discrimination on various grounds,
including ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion or
beliefs, disability, being over 55 years old, or being a woman. Combating
discrimination requires combining the strengths of a range of
anti-discrimination policies while also addressing their weaknesses. In
particular, policymakers should thoroughly address prejudice (taste-based
discrimination), stereotypes (statistical discrimination), cognitive biases,
and attention-based discrimination.
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High-quality enclave networks encourage labor
market success for newly arriving immigrants
Immigrants are typically not evenly distributed
within host countries; instead they tend to cluster in particular
neighborhoods. But does clustering in ethnic enclaves help explain the
persistent differences in employment rates and earnings between immigrants
and the native population? Empirical studies consistently find that residing
in an enclave can increase earnings. While it is still ambiguous whether
mainly low-skilled immigrants benefit, or whether employment probabilities
are affected, it is clear that effects are driven by enclave “quality” (in
terms of income, education, and employment rates) rather than enclave
size.
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