Keywords
Inmigración, Dominio del lenguaje español, Empleo, Variables Instrumentales, Immigration, Spanish language proficiency, Employment, Instrumental Variables
Host language proficiency and employment outcomes among immigrants in Spain
Abstract
Este artículo explora el impacto del dominio del idioma español en la probabilidad de tener empleo entre los inmigrantes en España. La literatura sugiere que los retornos a las lenguas extranjeras son considerables en España (Isphording, 2013), pero una pregunta aún no explorada es cuál es la contribución del dominio del idioma anfitrión a la probabilidad de tener empleo. El documento llena esta brecha y adopta un enfoque IV. Se busca un instrumento que explique las variaciones exógenas en el dominio del idioma español. Las variables instrumentales pueden proporcionar estimaciones consistentes bajo el sesgo de la capacidad y el error clásico de la medida. Específicamente, este trabajo se basa en Bleakley & Chin (2004) y explora el hecho de que los jóvenes aprenden idiomas más fácilmente que las personas mayores.
Encontramos que las habilidades del lenguaje de acogida están asociadas con una mayor empleabilidad. Por lo tanto, las habilidades lingüísticas contribuyen significativamente a la participación de las personas en el mercado de trabajo. Además, según los resultados, el impacto de la competencia lingüística en la probabilidad de empleo aumenta con el nivel educativo.
This paper explores the impact of Spanish language proficiency on the likelihood of employment among immigrants in Spain. Previous literature suggests that returns to foreign languages are sizable in Spain (Isphording, 2013), but a yet unexplored question is what the contribution of host language proficiency to the probability of being employment is. The paper fills this gap and adopts a IV approach. Then, we search for an instrument that accounts for exogenous variations in Spanish language proficiency. Instrumental variables can provide consistent estimates under ability-bias and classical measurement error. Specifically, this paper draw's on Bleakley & Chin (2004) and exploits the fact that younger people learn languages more easily than older people. We find that host language skills are associated with a higher employability. Therefore, language skills significantly contribute to the participation of individuals in the labour market. Moreover, according to the results, the impact of language proficiency on employment probability increases with educational attainment.
This paper explores the impact of Spanish language proficiency on the likelihood of employment among immigrants in Spain. Previous literature suggests that returns to foreign languages are sizable in Spain (Isphording, 2013), but a yet unexplored question is what the contribution of host language proficiency to the probability of being employment is. The paper fills this gap and adopts a IV approach. Then, we search for an instrument that accounts for exogenous variations in Spanish language proficiency. Instrumental variables can provide consistent estimates under ability-bias and classical measurement error. Specifically, this paper draw's on Bleakley & Chin (2004) and exploits the fact that younger people learn languages more easily than older people. We find that host language skills are associated with a higher employability. Therefore, language skills significantly contribute to the participation of individuals in the labour market. Moreover, according to the results, the impact of language proficiency on employment probability increases with educational attainment.
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