Joshua Mask
PhD Candidate
Department of Economics
University of Illinois at Chicago
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I conduct research on labor market entry. Specifically, I’m interested in how factors like macroeconomic trends or changes in public policy can affect the opportunities workers have when they enter the job market and, in turn, the outcomes they achieve later.
Research
- Consequences of Immigrating During a Recession: Evidence from the US Refugee Resettlement Program
Under Review
Abstract: Are there long-term labor consequences from migrating to the United States during a recession? For most immigrants, credibly estimating this effect is difficult because of selective migration. Some immigrants may not move if economic conditions become unfavorable. However, identification is possible for refugees as their arrival dates are exogenously determined through the US Refugee Resettlement program. A one percentage point increase in the arrival national unemployment rate reduces refugee wages by 3.6 percent and employment probability by 2.59 percentage points after five years.
- Salary History Bans: Lowering the Gender Wage Gap or Lowering Wages?
Abstract: Since 2017, a number of states and municipalities have banned employers from asking job applicants about their salary history. The intent of these laws is to lower the gender wage gap by eliminating persistence in earnings as a person gains experience and changes jobs. Early evidence from McNichols (2018) has shown that the law may have lowered the gender wage gap in California. Using a difference-in-difference strategy that takes advantage of variation with multiple states passing the law over multiple time periods, I find that passage of the law negatively affects men's weekly earnings by 1.8% but has no effect on women's earnings. I also provide evidence that this change is driven by men re-entering employment at lower wages in states with bans, not from men moving job-to-job. Finally, I show evidence that the law also lowers the variance in wages for women.
Upcoming Presentations