Whose Job Is It Anyway? Co-Ethnic Hiring in New U.S. Ventures / Sari Pekkala Kerr, William R. Kerr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Pekkala Kerr, Sari.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Kerr, William R.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w28509.

NBER working paper series no. w28509

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2021.

Summary:

We explore co-ethnic hiring among new ventures using U.S. administrative data. Co-ethnic hiring is ubiquitous among immigrant groups, averaging about 22.5% and ranging from <2% to >40%. Co-ethnic hiring grows with the size of the local ethnic workforce, greater linguistic distance to English, lower cultural/genetic similarity to U.S. natives, and in harsher policy environments for immigrants. Co-ethnic hiring is remarkably persistent for ventures and for individuals. Co-ethnic hiring is associated with greater venture survival and growth when thick local ethnic employment surrounds the business. Our results are consistent with a blend of hiring due to information advantages within ethnic groups with some taste-based hiring.

Notes:

Print version record

February 2021.