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The Earnings Growth of Immigrants: The Gender Differences for the Past 50 Years and the Role of Behavioural Influences on Human Capital Investment

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Project Lead

Xingfei Liu

Team Members

Tony Fang, Arthur Sweetman, Husame Doganay, Saba Ranjbar

Understanding the human capital nature of female immigrant earnings growth is key to informing policy makers with advice about both immigration and labor market policy.

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Objective 

This project will focus on gender differences and provide updated empirical evidence on immigrants’ earnings assimilation over time with a non-parametric approach and current immigrant data. This project further investigates the theoretical mechanisms that drive Canadian women immigrants’ earning growth dynamics by exploring suitable human capital theory to explain the empirical findings.

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Research question(s)

  1. What can we learn by studying the earnings of immigrant men and women both separately and comparatively?
  2. What is the most suitable human capital investment theory that can explain the earning trends for men and women separately? 
  3. What can we learn about immigration policy and economic condition differences faced by immigrant men and women in Canada compared to the United States?
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Methodology

This project will start by using a non-parametric quantitative approach to study immigrant earnings trajectories relative to native Canadians and relative to immigrants. Gender differences will be explored through an innovative approach.

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Status

The project is currently in progress. Preliminary findings are being presented in conferences and multiple publications are progressing. 

Expected completion date: September 2026

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Outcomes

Past events and conferences: 

  • “Earnings assimilation of immigrants in Canada: 1971–2021", presented by Xingfei Liu, AI, Remote Work, and Productivity – An International Conference, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Canada, May 2025
  • "The earnings of immigrants in Canada: The role of gender and the form of employment – An updated picture with the most recent cohorts", presented by Saba Ranjbar, Canadian Economic Association Conference (CEA), Montreal, Canada, May 2025
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Keywords

Gender differences; human capital; immigrant earnings; immigrant women; wage gap