Pay Gap Between Nationals and Migrants Mainly Due to Unequal Access to High-Paying Jobs

Are Skeie Hermansen; Andrew Penner; István Boza; Marta Elvira; Olivier Godechot; Martin Hällsten; Lasse Folke  Henriksen; Feng Hou; Zoltán Lippényi; Trond Petersen; Malte Reichelt; Halil Sabanci; Mirna Safi; Donald Tomaskovic-Devey; Erik Vickstrom

doi:10.1038/d41586-025-02546-2

Pay Gap Between Nationals and Migrants Mainly Due to Unequal Access to High-Paying Jobs

Are Skeie Hermansen^*
, Andrew Penner
, István Boza
, Marta Elvira
, Olivier Godechot
, Martin Hällsten
, Lasse Folke Henriksen
, Feng Hou
, Zoltán Lippényi
, Trond Petersen
, Malte Reichelt
, Halil Sabanci
, Mirna Safi
, Donald Tomaskovic-Devey
, Erik Vickstrom

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Organization

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › Research › peer-review

Abstract

In high-income nations, immigrants earn substantially less than do people born in those countries, mainly because of a lack of access to high-paying jobs. Addressing this economic disparity will require policy efforts that expand access to better-paying occupations and firms rather than just enforcing policies of equal pay for equal work.

Original language	English
Journal	Nature
Number of pages	2
ISSN	0028-0836
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02546-2
Publication status	Published - 20 Aug 2025

Bibliographical note

Epub ahead of print. Published online: 20 August 2025.

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Cite this

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title = "Pay Gap Between Nationals and Migrants Mainly Due to Unequal Access to High-Paying Jobs",

abstract = "In high-income nations, immigrants earn substantially less than do people born in those countries, mainly because of a lack of access to high-paying jobs. Addressing this economic disparity will require policy efforts that expand access to better-paying occupations and firms rather than just enforcing policies of equal pay for equal work. ",

author = "Hermansen, \{Are Skeie\} and Andrew Penner and Istv{\'a}n Boza and Marta Elvira and Olivier Godechot and Martin H{\"a}llsten and Henriksen, \{Lasse Folke\} and Feng Hou and Zolt{\'a}n Lipp{\'e}nyi and Trond Petersen and Malte Reichelt and Halil Sabanci and Mirna Safi and Donald Tomaskovic-Devey and Erik Vickstrom",

note = "Epub ahead of print. Published online: 20 August 2025.",

year = "2025",

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doi = "10.1038/d41586-025-02546-2",

language = "English",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Pay Gap Between Nationals and Migrants Mainly Due to Unequal Access to High-Paying Jobs

AU - Hermansen, Are Skeie

AU - Penner, Andrew

AU - Boza, István

AU - Elvira, Marta

AU - Godechot, Olivier

AU - Hällsten, Martin

AU - Henriksen, Lasse Folke

AU - Hou, Feng

AU - Lippényi, Zoltán

AU - Petersen, Trond

AU - Reichelt, Malte

AU - Sabanci, Halil

AU - Safi, Mirna

AU - Tomaskovic-Devey, Donald

AU - Vickstrom, Erik

N1 - Epub ahead of print. Published online: 20 August 2025.

PY - 2025/8/20

Y1 - 2025/8/20

N2 - In high-income nations, immigrants earn substantially less than do people born in those countries, mainly because of a lack of access to high-paying jobs. Addressing this economic disparity will require policy efforts that expand access to better-paying occupations and firms rather than just enforcing policies of equal pay for equal work.

AB - In high-income nations, immigrants earn substantially less than do people born in those countries, mainly because of a lack of access to high-paying jobs. Addressing this economic disparity will require policy efforts that expand access to better-paying occupations and firms rather than just enforcing policies of equal pay for equal work.

U2 - 10.1038/d41586-025-02546-2

DO - 10.1038/d41586-025-02546-2

M3 - Comment/debate

SN - 0028-0836

JO - Nature

JF - Nature

ER -