FINDING GOOD OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN UNAUTHORIZED MARKETS - US OCCUPATIONAL-MOBILITY FOR MALE LATINO WORKERS

Unauthorized workers, because of their lack of legal status, have cons trained opportunities in U.S. labor markets. We examine the determinan ts of occupational mobility for a sample of unauthorized Latino men wh o received temporary residency status under the 1986 Immigration Refor m and Control Act (IRCA). Estimates from mobility equations (for both upward and downward occupational mobility) show that English language ability, experience, the risk of being apprehended on the job, a reali zed apprehension, migrant networks, and the wage penalty for unauthori zed workers all play specific and significant roles in mobility when w orking in unauthorized labor markets.