Jobs

As hundreds of thousands of newly minted college graduates pack away their cap and gowns each year, many have one common worry: “Will I be able to find a job?” Rising student loan debt has been the focus of public debate, but the Great Recession has made the overall situation for new graduates that much more difficult.

Research on recent immigrants’ social networks and their hunt for work has produced mixed findings. Such networks have been shown to provide job opportunities and raise wages, but they can also aggravate cultural tensions and trigger competition for jobs. A 2012 study from Northwestern University, published in the Review of Economic Studies, suggests that it’s the composition of an immigrant’s social network that determines its impact on his or her employment prospects.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Colleen Casey, University of Texas at Arlington.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Harley Shaiken, University of California, Berkeley.