On Thursday, May 21st, at 11:30 a.m. Eastern, the Economic Policy Institute will host a discussion exploring the relationship between immigration status and wages. Lauren Apgar, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology at Indiana University Bloomington, will present findings from her forthcoming paper, Authorized Status, Limited Returns: The Labor Market Outcomes of Temporary Mexican Workers. She will discuss these findings with Tom Hertz, economist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service; and Charles Kamasaki, Senior Cabinet Adviser with the National Council of La Raza and resident fellow at the Migration Policy Institute.
A number of employers and legislators have proposed the expansion of U.S. temporary worker programs as a way to supply non-immigrant workers to U.S. employers and to limit unauthorized migration from Mexico. Compared to legal permanent residents and unauthorized workers, Mexican temporary workers hold jobs at the lowest rung of the ladder with little possibility for mobility, and have hourly wages equivalent to wages of unauthorized workers. If temporary worker programs are to become a viable alternative to unauthorized immigration, they should provide a living wage and reduce the risk of abuses workers encounter at the hands of employers and labor recruiters. Apgar, Hertz, and Kamasaki will discuss ways to boost wages and protections for temporary workers.
What: Release of new EPI paper, Authorized Status, Limited Returns: The Labor Market Outcomes of Temporary Mexican Workers, and panel discussion on the relationship between immigration status and wages
Who: Tom Hertz, Economic Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Lauren Apgar, Ph.D. Candidate in Sociology, University of Indiana—Bloomington
Charles Kamasaki, Senior Cabinet Adviser, National Council of La Raza and Resident Fellow, Migration Policy Institute
Larry Mishel, EPI President, will give opening remarks
Daniel Costa, EPI Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research, will moderate
When: Thursday, May 21, 2015
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Eastern
Where: Economic Policy Institute
1333 H Street NW, 3rd floor
Washington, DC
To RSVP and receive an embargoed copy of the paper, please email news@epi.org.
The event will be livestreamed on epi.org.