US Permanent Residency, Job Mobility, and Earnings
One concern regarding US immigration policies is that skilled workers on temporary visas may be bound to their employers in “indentured servitude,” giving rise to monopsony power. I investigate this concern by estimating the effect of acquiring permanent residency on the job mobility and earnings of these workers. Using fixed effects models, I find an immediate upsurge in mobility upon permanent residency receipt, primarily driven by voluntary moving being depressed during the employer-sponsored immigration process. Job lock reduces the earnings of male workers by 4.7%, which translates to a 2% surplus for firms after extra hiring costs are subtracted.