Global education trajectories and inequality: STEM workers from China to the US

The United States has become reliant on workers from abroad to meet its demand for the knowledge-based economy. However, some migrants may face an earnings deficit relative to similar US-born workers. This paper examines the sources of the deficit and asks whether we should expect the initial deficit to disappear with education attainment and work experience in the US. They are challenging to answer as few data sources measure and track market experiences and educational trajectories of migrants over time. Migration and educational trajectories which reflect the country's source of formal educational credentials as well as other forms of capital may explain the deficit, this study applies sequence analysis to the National Science Foundation's 'National College Graduate Survey' to examine earnings differences between China- and US-born STEM workers. After identifying the dominant migration-education profiles for these STEM workers, I show that the wages of migrants with exclusively China-based education are 5-25% lower than those of workers with at least some US-based education, even among workers who are otherwise similar in terms of experience, legal status, employer type, occupation, degree level and time since migration. These findings point to significant and lasting penalties due to non-US education.