This paper summarizes our research on the relationship between immigrant entry earnings and earnings growth. Using 1960-1990 decennial census data, we find that for cohorts from the same country of origin, education group, and age group, there is a systematic inverse relationship between initial earnings and subsequent earnings growth. With regard to the effect of greater admissions on the basis of kinship, we find that declines in occupational skills admissions and corresponding increases in family admissions are associated with both a decrease in initial earnings and an increase in earnings growth. We further find that the earnings of demographically comparable immigrants, regardless of country of origin, converge with time in the United States. All of these findings suggest that immigrant entry earnings and earnings growth are jointly determined and inversely related.
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