Immigrants in the Israeli Hi-Tech Industry: Comparison to Natives and the Effect of Training

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

During the 1990s, the Israeli economy experienced two major events. First, starting in the fall of 1989, a large wave of relatively highly skilled immigrants arrived from the former Soviet Union (CIS) increasing the population and the labor force by considerable magnitude. Second, the hi-tech sector has grown substantially and reached a peak in growth and level in 2000. This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the integration of immigrants from the CIS in the Israeli labor market and, specifically, in the hi-tech sector. Based on a unique panel data that follows immigrants for up to 12 years in Israel we find a significant positive correlation between immigrants' participation in Israeli government-provided training programs and the propensity to work as professionals in the hi-tech industry and to work in white-collar occupations in other sectors. However, this correlation diminishes with 'time since participation' such that recent participants face a higher probability to work in hi-tech and white-collar jobs than those who participated in training earlier.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationThe Economics of Immigration and Social Diversity
EditorsSolomon Polachek, Carmel Chiswick, Hillel Rapoport
Pages265-292
Number of pages28
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006

Publication series

NameResearch in Labor Economics
Volume24
ISSN (Print)0147-9121

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