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Unpacking Earnings of the Foreign-Born Workforce by Professionally Certified or Licensed Status

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Working Paper Number: SEHSD-WP2018-17

Differential earnings profiles by education level or professional certification or licensing status between native-and foreign-born workers may reflect different returns to those credentials for native-versus foreign-born workers. For example, if foreign-born workers’ educational signal in the U.S. is not as easily interpretable as that of native-born workers without additional credentials, then acquiring a degree, certification, or license may confer greater benefits for foreign-born workers. We might expect, therefore, that the gaps in earnings profiles between foreign-born workers with and without professional certification or licensing will be larger than the comparable gaps for native-born workers. This poster lays the foundation for examining these differences.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021