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

Abstract

"Between 1976 and 1981 many pople moved out of Quebec, especially anglophones. 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. This paper analyses emigration from Quebec and earnings with a two-equation model, using a sample of men drawn from the from the 1981 [Canadian] census. It is 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."