Race and Selective Migration: Ethnoracial Differences in High-Status Occupational Representation Among Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 15. Immigrant labor market and earnings

Abstract

Black immigrants, a small but rapidly growing share of the U.S. immigrant population, occupy a unique position in the racial hierarchy as both newcomers and racialized minorities. Drawing on data from the 1990 and 2000 IPUMS and the 2013–2024 CPS, I conduct (a) subgroup analyses within the Black immigrant population, (b) cross-group comparisons with other native-born and immigrant populations, and (c) analyses of intergenerational mobility between parents and their children to evaluate socioeconomic outcomes among second-generation Black Africans and Afro-Caribbeans. Firstly, my findings reveal substantial in-group heterogeneity: second-generation Black Africans generally have higher odds of being employed in professional or managerial occupations than Afro-Caribbeans. Secondly, Black Africans’ odds of being employed in professional or managerial occupations are higher than those of non-Hispanic White Americans and are second only to those of Asian immigrants; however, any differences between these groups become negligible after accounting for educational attainment. Conversely, Afro-Caribbeans achieve similar odds of being employed in high-status occupations to non-Hispanic White Americans and higher than those of non-Hispanic African Americans and Hispanic immigrants, but these differences diminish, and their disadvantage increases when educational attainment is controlled for, suggesting the presence of ethnic penalties in the labor market. Altogether, my findings indicate that the hyper-selectivity of certain immigrant groups can help mitigate broader structural inequalities in the labor market. That is, racial discrimination is not an absolute barrier to socioeconomic advancement among Black immigrants who enter with substantial pre-migration advantages.

Author

• Iteoluwakiishi Rébecca Arigbabu, Washington University in St. Louis