Does low-skilled immigration increase profits? Evidence from Italian local labour markets

B-Tier
Journal: Regional Science and Urban Economics
Year: 2020
Volume: 85
Issue: C

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We study the effects of low-skilled immigration on firm profits, average wages, employment, capital and total factor productivity (TFP) by combining firm-level and local labour market data from Italy. We find that low-skilled immigration increases profits by reducing average wages and total labour costs. This effect is small on average, but about ten times larger for firms operating in local labour markets with a high share of low-skilled employment than for other firms. In these areas, the substitution effects triggered by immigration reduce average wages much more than elsewhere.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:regeco:v:85:y:2020:i:c:s0166046220302672
Journal Field
Urban
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-24