The Entry into the U.S. Labor Market of Antebellum European Immigrants, 1840-60

45 Pages Posted: 7 Jan 2008 Last revised: 31 Mar 2023

See all articles by Joseph P. Ferrie

Joseph P. Ferrie

Northwestern University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: June 1996

Abstract

This study examines the occupational mobility of antebellum immigrants as they entered the U.S. White collar, skilled, and semi-skilled immigrants left unskilled jobs more rapidly after arrival than farmers and unskilled workers. British and German immigrants fared better than the Irish; literate immigrants in rapidly growing counties and places with many immigrants fared best. These findings have implications for (1) the accuracy of estimates of immigrant occupational mobility; (2) the size of the human capital transfer resulting from antebellum immigration; and (3) the causes of the difficulty experienced by some immigrant groups in transferring their skills to the U.S.

Suggested Citation

Ferrie, Joseph P., The Entry into the U.S. Labor Market of Antebellum European Immigrants, 1840-60 (June 1996). NBER Working Paper No. h0088, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=225052

Joseph P. Ferrie (Contact Author)

Northwestern University - Department of Economics ( email )

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National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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