Labor Force Participation of Immigrant Extended Householders

• In Event: 469 - Section on International Migration Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 11. Immigrants and Labor Markets I

Abstract

Waves of immigration since the 1960s have diversified U.S. racial and ethnic groups, and immigrants in particular are more likely than native-born whites and blacks to live in extended households. In families that have demands for care of the youngest and oldest household members or assistance to same-age kin, the tension of work-life balance can impact working-age adults’ labor force participation. Multinomial logistic regression analysis of the 1994-2014 March Current Population Survey indicate that although the probability of employment is lower and the probability of being out of the labor force is higher among extended householders than primary householders, the story changes when looking at full-time and part-time employment. Overall, extended householders fare better when comparing their probability of full-time employment to that of primary householders, indicating that the support they receive within families from extended kin may enable working-age adults to better actualize their labor force participation. Results also indicate that vertical and mixed household extensions particularly benefit the employment prospects of non-Hispanic black and Hispanic householders compared to non-Hispanic white householders. Finally, across immigrant generations a clear assimilation story unfolds, particularly between the first and second generations. The children of immigrants who live in extended households see a higher probability of employment, especially full-time employment. This second-generation upward mobility appears to decline by the third generation, indicating that while household extension is beneficial for recent immigrants and their native-born children, there are negative returns to extended coresidence in later generations.

Author

• Emerald Thai Han Nguyen, University of California-Davis