Can Immigrants Assimilate Out of Welfare?
While long-term wage growth rate disparities may exist between native-born and immigrant populations as well as between immigrant cohorts themselves, it is important to assess whether these disparities ultimately lead immigrants to assimilate into or out of government assistance programs. In other words, are the disparities in entry level wages and wage growth so great that immigrants are unable to assimilate out of government dependence for their livelihood? Research assessing rates of welfare participation in Sweden found that immigrants rely on social assistance as a means of income at much higher levels than native-born citizens (Hansen & Lofstrom, 2003). However, the difference between immigrants and natives participation rates decreases over time and is largely a reflection of initial disparity rather than long-term assimilation deficiencies. Said differently, although immigrants from refugee cohorts have substantially higher welfare participation rates than immigrants from non-r
