Transferability of Human Capital and Immigrant Assimilation – An Analysis for Germany

Arbeitspapier

This paper investigates the transferability of human capital across countries and the contribution of imperfect human capital portability to the explanation of the immigrant-native wage gap. Using data for West Germany, our results reveal that, overall, education and labor market experience accumulated in the home countries of the immigrants receive significantly lower returns than human capital obtained in Germany. We further find evidence for heterogeneity in the returns to human capital of immigrants across origin countries. Finally, imperfect human capital transferability appears to be a major factor in explaining the wage differential between natives and immigrants.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch
• ISBN: 978-3-86788-183-8

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Ruhr Economic Papers ; No. 164

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers ; Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials ; Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
• Subject: Human capital ; rate of return ; immigration ; assimilation ; Humankapital ; Wissenstransfer ; Migranten ; Bevölkerung ; Bildungsertrag ; Soziale Integration ; Lohnstruktur ; Schätzung ; Deutschland

Contributors, Location and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Basilio, Leilanie ; Bauer, Thomas K.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI)
• (where): Essen
• (when): 2010

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/37005
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET