Working Paper

The wage impact of undocumented workers


Abstract: Using administrative, individual-level, longitudinal data from the state of Georgia, this paper finds that a documented worker employed by a firm that hires undocumented workers can expect to earn 0.15 percent less than if employed by a firm that does not hire undocumented workers. However, in sectors where there are opportunities for task specialization and benefits from communication skills, documented workers can expect to earn a wage premium of less than 1 percent from being employed at a firm that also hires undocumented workers.

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File(s): File format is application/pdf http://www.frbatlanta.org/documents/pubs/wp/wp1204.pdf

Authors

Bibliographic Information

Provider: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta

Part of Series: FRB Atlanta Working Paper

Publication Date: 2012

Number: 2012-04

Pages: 58 pages