Skilled immigration and the conditions of labour competition in the US: a comparative study of the Indian, the Mexican and the Chinese diasporas

Abstract

The US has always been the epicentre of international skilled migration. This has led to the formation of various diaspora groups which have played a critical role not only in America’s emergence as a global power but also in the development of their home countries. This paper is a comparative case study of three major diaspora groups in the US – the Indian, the Mexican and the Chinese – in which an attempt has been made to analyse their objective determinants such as education level, language ability, skills and experiences. The authors conclude that there exists a considerable difference in the levels of labour integration among the three so analysed diasporas: while skilled Indians and Chinese earn as much as or more than the US natives, Mexicans tend to earn less and work in occupations not necessarily linked to their skills and expertise. There is also a considerable difference in the level of engagement with their respective homelands between the Indians, Mexicans and the Chinese.

Keywords:

• skilled migration
• diaspora
• the US
• India
• China
• Mexico

Notes

1. The term ‘diaspora’ includes individuals born in the country as well as those who cited origin as their ancestry/ race or ethnicity regardless of where they were born. Ancestry refers to a person’s ethnic origin or descent; or the place of birth of the person, the person's parents, or ancestors before their arrival in United States (MPI).

2. As per the U.S. Census Bureau, and quoted by Terrazas and Batalova (2010), the ‘immigrants’ are the foreign-born population which includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees and asylum seekers, legal non-immigrants (including those on student, work, or certain other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization.

3. The term ‘foreign born’ refers to people residing in the United States at the time of the ACS who were not US citizens by birth. The foreign-born population includes naturalized citizens, lawful permanent immigrants, refugees and asylees, legal non-immigrants (including those on student, work, or other temporary visas), and persons residing in the country without authorization (MPI).

4. North American Free Trade Agreement: It is an agreement designed to remove tariff barriers between the United States, Canada and Mexico.

5. Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India, works under the Ministry of External Affairs under the new regime in India.

6. According to a comprehensive nationwide survey by the Pew Research Center (PRC, 2013), in 1965, the Asian-American share of the U.S. population stood at less than 1%, mainly due to exclusionary policies. As a consequence of the Immigration and Nationality Act 1965, the Asian Americans are now 6% of the U.S. population.

7. The Government of India classifies the Indian diaspora into Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) – those who are still Indian citizens and holding an Indian Passport; and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) – those who have become citizens of another country. According to Government statistics their number is around 21,909,875 of which 10,037,761 are NRIs and 11,872,114 PIOs. These numbers are however based on rough estimates.