We estimate employer-specific wage, tenure, and wage growth differentials using a unique Bureau of Labor Statistics establishment survey of full-time, white-collar workers. Employer wage and tenure differentials, conditional on worker characteristics, are substantial in these data. Education, potential experience, and tenure are highly correlated within an establishment. High-wage establishments generally employ higher quality workers, and the most skilled men and professionals typically work with the most skilled women and nonprofessionals. There is significant variation in wage growth rates across employers, and high wage growth establishments tend to have longer tenure, all else equal.

This article studies the role of the family in determining the skill composition and labor market experiences of immigrants in the United States. Our theoretical framework, based on the assumption that family migration decisions maximize household income, shows that the family attenuates the selection characterizing the skills of the immigrant population. The empirical analysis uses the 1970 and 1980 Public Use Samples of the U.S. census and reveals that an immigrant's skills and labor market performance are greatly influenced by the composition of the household at the time of migration and by his placement in the immigration chain.