Assessing selection patterns and wage differentials of high-skilled migrants. Evidence from Italian graduates working abroad.

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the phenomenon of graduates' migration from an OECD country at a microeconomic level to offer insight into the scholarly debate on migration decisions of high-skilled workers living in a developed country. By merging data on employment conditions of Italian graduates with the results of an ad-hoc survey on Italian graduates working abroad, the paper assesses the selectivity of migration choices, the wage premium associated with migration decision on their earnings, and the determinants of the earning function for those graduates that work abroad. Results suggest a high complexity of both the selection and the earning function of high-skilled migrants coming from a developed country.