Earnings by Language Group in Quebec in 1980 and Emigration from Quebec Between 1976 and 1981

Between 1976 and 1981, thousands of Anglophones moved out of Quebec. The author argues that to the extent that a person's decision to stay or to move may be related to earnings prospects, earnings comparisons with individuals who lived in Quebec in 1981 may suffer from a selection bias. He analyzes emigration from Quebec and earnings with a two-equation model, using a sample of men drawn from the 1981 census. He found that a selection bias is indeed present for Anglophones and that the returns to learning French may be underestimated when that bias is ignored. In fact, he argues that the economic returns in Quebec for learning a second language were higher for Anglophones than for Francophones.

Cahier de recherche 8602

Ottawa, ON

University of Ottawa, Department of Economics

1986

en