Working Paper:

No Entiendo: The Effects of Bilingualism on Hispanic Earnings

Title:: No Entiendo: The Effects of Bilingualism on Hispanic Earnings
Author(s):: Cortina, Jerónimo
de la Garza, Rodolfo O.
Pinto, Pablo M.
Date:: 2009
Type:: Working Paper
Handle:: http://hdl.handle.net/10022/AC:P:29754
Book/Journal Title:: Working Paper Series
Media Type:: application/pdf
Notes:: The authors are listed in alphabetical order to indicate that each contributed equally to the development of the paper. The authors would like to thank the participants in the Political Science Department Faculty Seminar at Columbia University for their comments and the support received from Columbia’s Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. Cortina would like to thank the Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston for their support.
Abstract:: This paper examines whether the ability to communicate in English and Spanish is rewarded in labor markets. Using data from the 2000 U.S. Census we find that among Hispanics, earnings are higher as the ability to speak English increases. We also find that bilingualism, is associated with higher wages reversing the negative effect found in earlier studies. The reversal could be explained by increasing immigration, and from economic integration with Latin America. Our results also show that bilingualism is negatively correlated with wages among different occupational categories and sectors, but particularly among managers and those employed in the public sector.