[USA] Immigrant Networks and Their Implications for Occupational Choice and Wages / Institute for the Study of Labor, December 2007
PDF - http://ftp.iza.org/dp3217.pdf
Krishna Patel ; Francis Vella
IZA Discussion Paper No. 3217
"The data reveal that the occupational shares of various ethnic groups have grown drastically in regional labor markets over the period 1980 to 2000. We examine the extent to which this growth can be attributed to network effects. That is, we examine the relationship between the occupational choice decision of recently arrived immigrants with those of established immigrants from the same country. We also consider the earnings implications of these immigrant networks for recent arrivals. The empirical evidence strongly suggests the operation of networks in the immigrant labor market."