Impact of COVID-19 Immigration Restrictions on the US Labor Market and Skill Demand.
This paper examines how COVID-19 immigration restrictions impacted U.S. labor markets, using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) and Burning Glass’s (BG) online job postings. I find that the drop in immigration increased native employment and reduced foreign-born employment, revealing a substitution effect and driving disproportionate wage growth. However, immigration restrictions spurred firms to adopt new technologies and automation over time, altering skill demands across regions and industries.