Why firms and job mobility matter for immigrant integration: Evidence from the mass arrival of former Soviet Union Jews in Israel

Ana Maria Rus

The integration of immigrants is the subject of contentious public debates. This column studies the labour market outcomes of nearly one million Jews who migrated from the former Soviet Union to Israel in the 1990s and were granted Israeli citizenship upon arrival. The immigrants initially worked in lower-paying firms than natives, but narrowed the wage gap with natives by switching jobs more often and making larger upward moves when they did. Policies that tie immigrants to a single employer